


The Grandfather Paradox

by ldyjaydin



Category: Star Wars
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:08:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 29,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26163895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ldyjaydin/pseuds/ldyjaydin
Summary: Fix-it fic with time travel! At the moment of Ben's death on Exegol, the Force whisks him and Rey away into the past. While desperately looking for help for Ben, she meets a new friend who comes to her aid. This friend's name is Padme. Story is actually done and one chapter will be posted per day until done.
Relationships: Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 47
Kudos: 101





	1. Chapter 1

The Grandfather Paradox

A/N: Welcome! I love the chemistry between Rey and Ben Solo/Kylo Ren, but I also adore Padme. I feel like she got the worst end of the deal in the Star Wars saga, dying of a broken heart and her children knowing absolutely nothing about her. So I wondered how can I combine both of these together? Here it is! The story is done and I'll be posting chapters daily until it's finished. I binge watched all of the prequels in one day as research. "The Phantom Menace" was just as bad as I remember, but I really enjoyed "Revenge of the Sith". I hope you enjoy it. If so, PLEASE leave a comment. You have no idea how good comments make us authors feel. I'm totally open to constructive criticism, but please don't be a troll.

If you haven't read my other story, "Rewriting History", check it out! I am super proud of it.

Chapter 1 – Rey

"Ben!"

Rey spoke his name with delighted surprise. Everything had been dark nothingness until she'd awoken in his arms. She hadn't necessarily known that defeating Palpatine would kill her, but a part of her had realized there would be a great cost.

Now this man who held her had brought her out of the darkness, back into the light. This man who, at times, had frightened her, had angered her, had become her confidant, had intrigued her beyond measure. He looked at her with eyes filled of such love and concern, it threatened to overwhelm her.

Her fingers touched his cheek and her thumb traced along his chin.

His eyes searched hers, as if they didn't quite believe he'd really been able to bring her back. Ben Solo's eyes filled with compassion for her.

She kissed him, pouring all of her emotions into him.

His arms encircled her, drawing her into him.

As her lips pressed into his, the Force bond between them hummed. The two halves of their soul met in this passionate joining, merging into a true Dyad.

She could kiss him forever, lose herself in his arms. Yet, she pulled back, wanting to look into those eyes again.

His fingers brushed against the back of her neck. Then he smiled, the faintest laugh escaping him.

Rey's breath caught at the sight of that smile. In all the time she'd known him, their talks, their fights, never had he smiled. It devastated her.

Then the smile faded and his hand dropped away from her.

Confusion and horror mixed inside of her as he fell backwards. She grabbed his shirt to slow his fall and stop his head from smashing against the cold stone floor. She stared down at him with tears forming in her eyes. Panic froze her, unsure what to do. She'd just found him. Ben Solo, the light inside Kylo Ren. How could the Force be so cruel to steal him away like this?

Her eyes widened as a blue light appeared in the middle of his chest. It spread out along his limbs, enveloping his whole body. The blue light met the hand she had on his chest and it made her skin tingle sharply. She gasped and snatched her hand away, but not fast enough. It traveled up her arm and before she could move, it completely covered her. Thousands of pinpricks, like the bites of tiny insects, assaulted her. Her hands swiped at her exposed arms but accomplished nothing.

Then it seemed like the ground below her opened up and she plummeted with Ben's body down through the blue light. The wind rushing up at her threatened to wrench her away from Ben. She clung to him in desperation even though he didn't move all. She knew she was screaming, could feel the strain of her vocal cords, but the wind tore all the sound she made away from her ears. The farther they fell, the more fear gripped her at what awaited them at the bottom. She had no way to slow their descent. 

She wondered if this would ever stop, if she would just be falling with the body of her soulmate forever. Sensing the futility of any further action, she simply closed her eyes and hugged Ben's body tighter. She pressed her face into his chest, feeling his hard muscles against her cheek but not the rhythm of his breathing. She exhaled and calmed her mind.

There was no sudden stop, no splattering of their bodies on the hard ground. The wind just ceased blowing.

Rey continued to cling to Ben's body with her eyes closed for another moment. She breathed in deeply and air smelled fresher somehow. That hint of death and destruction permeating the atmosphere of Exegol had vanished. Rey opened her eyes, squinted against the dazzling sunlight. Definitely not Exegol.

After a few blinks, her eyes adjusted to brightness and she sat up. The blue light that had enveloped them was considerably dimmer. As she watched, it faded away completely. Then she looked down at Ben.

She gasped, her heart pounding at the sight of him. An ashen pallor colored his skin, accentuated by the layer of gray dust covering him. His right leg bent at an unnatural angle and numerous cuts and bruises marred his face and hands. The worst part was his eyes. They were open, but hooded, staring out into nothing.

Dead

"No!" Rey shouted defiantly. He'd come for her, saved her. Even if she didn't have enough strength left to heal him, she would not let him die.

Determined, she spread her hands across his chest. Reaching out with the Force, she searched for even the smallest hint of life. Nothing.

"Beat," she commanded. "Beat, beat, beat." Her own chanting echoed in her ears as she used the Force to rhythmically pump his heart. Still no response.

Anger built up in her. It wasn't fair! She and Ben had spent so long fighting each other that when they finally came together, their soul finally became whole. How could he be ripped away from her now?

With a growl of frustration, she lifted her hands and slammed them down on his chest. "Beat!" she yelled. Again. "Beat!" As she slammed her hands down once more, a jolt of blue lightning erupted from her palms and into Ben.

His entire body jerked from the shock. He drew in a ragged breath then collapsed back to the ground.

Rey jumped back away from him, sobbing. She hadn't intended to shock him, and she feared it may have caused further damage. Tears streamed down her face as she crouched back next to him.

Her breath caught in her throat as she saw the slight rise and fall of his chest, which had been still before. The gray color of his skin retreated just a little to become pinker. His eyes had closed, making him look like he merely slept. Rey laid her head on his chest, listening intently.

There!

His heart beat, slow and unsteady, but there. Ben was alive, but just barely. He needed help.

For the first time since the winds died down and the blue light retreated, Rey really looked at her surroundings. Impossibly tall buildings stood all around her, their non-descript doors opening into the small space they occupied. A pile of discarded furniture pieces lay in one corner and a broken droid in the other. With a start, she realized that the ground was actually the top of another building. She wondered how far up they were. The sun shone down on them but Rey could also see numerous ships whizzing around above. Definitely not Exegol.

The hum of life touched her ears and Rey turned to find a narrow alley leading out to some kind of main road. People walked past the opening.

"Ben!" She looked back at him. "There's people! I'm going to get help!" She pressed a kiss to his cheek, disturbed by how cold he felt.

She sprinted down the alley and out into the open. She would have run off the walkway if not for the guardrail. Peering down made her dizzy as she couldn't even see the bottom. She blinked, remembering the urgency of the situation.

"Help! I need help!" Rey screamed.

Everyone in hearing distance of her cry stilled. Numerous heads turned to look at her. Rey silently pleaded with them.

A woman dressed in a billowing red cloak that surrounded her whole body rushed up to her from down the walkway. "What's wrong?" Then the woman scanned her face and gripped her arm. "Oh, you poor thing! You look like you've been through a hurricane."

"He needs help!" Rey grabbed her hand and pulled her through the alley.

“Senator!" A voice yelled behind her.

"Captain Typho, call a med unit!" the woman yelled to the uniformed man as she ran with Rey.

They skidded to a stop in front of Ben.

"Oh, my!" The woman gasped. She took Ben's hand in hers and Rey watched as she checked his wrist for a pulse. "He's so cold."

Rey sat down and pulled Ben's head into her lap. "Hang on, Ben," she whispered to him. "Help is coming."

The uniformed man halted beside the woman. "The med unit is on the way."

"It'll only be a few minutes. What's your name?" the woman asked, still holding Ben's hand. Her small hands wrapped around his large fingers as if trying to bring warmth to them.

"Rey."

"I'm glad to meet you, Rey. My name is Padme."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 – Rey

Rey fretted over Ben as the medical droids secured him in the transport. They'd come in a matter of minutes but every second seemed like an eternity. The droid informed her she could ride with them to the hospital.

"Thank you so much for everything, Padme," Rey told her as she climbed in.

"Don't worry, we have the finest doctors here on Coruscant. He'll be in the best hands," Padme told her. She waved as the droid closed the doors.

Rey already missed Padme's calming presence as the transport traveled. She filled out whatever questions she had the ability to answer on the pad that had been handed to her then stayed pressed in a corner. She tried to stay out of the way as the droids worked on Ben. They put a tube down his throat and fluids dripped into his arms.

At the hospital, people rushed Ben inside, but Rey was blocked from following. A droid guided her to a waiting room. The room was nice, filled with plush sofas and chairs that were nicer than anything she'd ever seen on Jakku. A caff dispenser offered free drinks on one side and bagged snacks sat ready for the taking on the other. For once in her life, Rey had no appetite.

Two elderly men sat in the far back and a young woman, not much older than her, quietly sobbed across the room while munching on a bag of adder moss chips.

Rey sat on the edge of one of the sofas near the door. She worried briefly about dirtying the cloth with the mess on her clothes, but found the notion so ridiculous. Sitting here was the first time she could even contemplate what had happened in the last hour of her life.

She'd confronted the Emperor. Her grandfather. She shook her head, disgusted by the association. Then Ben had come out of nowhere to stand by her against Palpatine. It had been like a miracle. He'd shed the Kylo Ren persona like a rotten skin, arriving still wearing the shirt marred by her impaling him. She wondered which had been the turning point, her mortally wounding him or her restoring him back to health?

Her fingers traced her lips, thinking of the kiss she'd given him. Then that smile. Oh, that smile! She felt her mouth smile at just the thought of it. She squeezed her eyes shut at the memory of her death, pushing it out of her head.

She opened her eyes and frowned at her surroundings. Where the hell was she? Padme had said Coruscant, but how had they gotten there? All that wind…

"Rey!"

The voice brought her out of her confused thoughts. Padme walked through the door. She smiled gently down at Rey and handed her a cup of caff. Rey noticed her security guard, Captain Typho, take position at the door.

"Padme? What are you doing here?" Rey breathed in the scent of the designer caff. She couldn't resist taking a sip. The warm liquid flowing down her throat felt like heaven. "This is so good," she breathed out.

"From one of my favorite places." Padme took a long drink from her own cup and sat down next to Rey on the sofa.

Rey shook her head. "What are you doing here, Padme?" she asked again.

"I wasn't going to let you wait here all alone! Your friend was in bad shape and you're going to need some support. Unless there's someone I can call for you?"

"No, I have no one here," Rey admitted. "I've never been to Coruscant before and I don't know anyone."

Padme gave her a friendly smile. "I figured that. When this is all over, I'll give you a tour of all best places. I'm actually from Naboo but I work here."

"That's very sweet of you. I remember learning that Coruscant was the capital of the old Republic and of the Galactic Empire, but not the New Republic. Is that right?" Rey thought back to one of her conversations with Leia. The General had told her about the times she'd visited Coruscant with her father, Bail Organa. She'd been enchanted by the planet-wide city as a girl, but later, as a diplomat for the New Republic, she'd been dismayed by the horrible living conditions of those in the lower levels.

Padme laughed, sounding as delightful as birdsong. "Whatever are you talking abou,t Rey? Galactic Empire? New Republic? It's just the Republic, which has stood for almost a thousand years."

Rey blinked, confused. "The Battle of Yavin?" Even growing up isolated on Jakku, she'd heard of the Battle of Yavin and the destruction of the Deathstar.

"Never heard of it! Was it a battle on your home planet? I'm quite the student of history and would love to hear about it. Where are you from, Rey?"

Realization crashed down on Rey as the significance of her words hit her. A worldly woman like Padme must have heard of the Battle of Yavin and the Galactic Empire. Unless they hadn't happened yet and this truly was the Old Republic. Had they been transported through both space AND time? Why?

"Rey? You look troubled. What exactly happened to you two?"

Rey thought about an explanation that wouldn't sound especially crazy. Probably best not to say something like We were fighting against the evil Emperor on the Sith homeworld at least sixty years in the future.

A gray-haired man in a white uniform stepped into the room, saving Rey from having to answer Padme's question. Captain Typho followed behind as the man strolled across the room to her.

"Are you Rey? The woman who came in with," he paused to check his pad. "Ben Solo?"

Rey stood up and Padme followed suit. "Yes, Doctor. Is he going to be okay?" She hated the note of desperation in her voice.

The doctor sighed. "Mr. Solo is very badly injured. He has a compound fracture of the right femur along with simple fractures of both the right tibia and fibula. Two of his ribs are broken. There's a mild laceration of his liver with some internal bleeding and he's got a severe concussion. Plenty of abrasions and contusions all over him as well as some minor burns on his chest."

"Burns on his chest?" Rey gasped, thinking about the blue lightning that she'd inadvertently used to restart his heart. To think she'd done further damage to him dismayed her.

Padme placed a calming hand on her shoulder.

"I'm not concerned about the burns. Those will heal easily. It's the broken leg and concussion I'm worried about. He was unconscious when we took him into surgery to fix the liver and piece his leg back together. With that level of head injury, I'm not sure when he'll regain consciousness."

Tears flooded Rey's eyes and spilled over to run down her cheeks.

The doctor gave her a sympathetic look. "I do think he's going to pull through, it's just going to be a difficult recovery period. Are you family?"

Rey struggled to find the right words for their relationship. Soulmates? Enemies turned lovers? All she knew was that she was all he had in this place. She finally simply said, "Yes, family."

"Can you tell me anything about what happened to him?"

Rey swallowed and adapted the actual tale to something plausible. "We had just arrived and we're attacked by a group of thugs. They threw Ben off a building."

The doctor nodded. "It certainly explains most of his injuries. It's going to be a few hours until he's out of surgery. Then you'll be able to join him in a room. Until then, make yourself comfortable here. We'll keep you updated." He nodded to her and walked out.

Rey sat down on the sofa again and cried. She didn't want to feel so weak and helpless, but she couldn't help it. Poor Ben. He suffered so for her.

Padme put her arm around Rey’s back and let Rey just cry into her shoulder for a while.

Once Rey cried all her emotions out, Padme turned to Captain Typho. "Rey needs fresh clothes. And food. We're going to need food."

A/N: Thank you so much to all the interest in this story! Excited to keep posting chapters I hope everyone will like. Your comments are the absolute best part of my day. One thing I want to add: I don't think I've mentioned either here or in "Rewriting History" that I thinks Rey's power with the blue lightning was WAY underutilized. That one scene in the desert and then nothing else? I think the writers dropped the ball there.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 - Ben

Ben lay prone on the ground, naked, vulnerable and confused. Yet, he couldn't muster the energy to move. His head hurt so badly that he would have believed it if someone told him a plasma grenade had been detonated inside his brain.

And his leg. It throbbed with such pain that he wondered if it would slowly drive him insane. Part of him wished to just cut it off and be done with it. Plenty of people lived with artificial limbs. He remembered watching Luke's mechanical hand working with fascination as a child. But the thought of having such a vital part of his body replaced disturbed him more than the pain.

The darkness surrounded him, its inky blackness impossible for his eyes to penetrate. The surface he laid upon was somewhat soft, possibly a mattress, but he couldn't see it. The air was mildly chilly, although he'd take that over the heat anytime. He tended to easily overheat because of his size.

What kept him anchored to this place despite the pain and darkness was the sound of Rey's voice. When he heard her speak, it was like joy washing over him. His body relaxed and his breathing, usually labored, would steady. Without it, he would have let go of this mortal coil and given his being over to the Force.

There were other voices too, although Rey's was the only one that mattered to him. He usually couldn't follow the conversations as he only heard every few words. He seemed to be just a little too far away. What he did hear was the inflections of the words as they talked. Rey often spoke with another woman, whose voice sounded kind and reassuring. There were also at least two men's voices, one of which probably was the doctor because his words always contained medical jargon.

The times he liked the best were when Rey spoke directly to him. She whispered into his ear and he could hear just about every word. Words about him staying with her, of them being together. She said she forgave him for the past and the fact that he came for her against the Emperor meant everything.

She told him she loved him.

He couldn't imagine any words so sweet as those. His mother had said those words to him as a child, but they were always bittersweet because it meant she was leaving him. Especially the last time she said it, when she left him at the Jedi Temple at nine years old.

But from Rey, those words conveyed such hope for the future. A future with them together, which he desperately wanted. When he'd climbed his way out of the pit Palpatine had thrown him in and he'd found Rey dead, he'd finally had to acknowledge his feelings for her.

He was utterly in love with her, and had been for a long time.

All of the hurt and anger at her rejection of his hand after killing Snoke had him shove all those feelings deep inside himself. He convinced himself that he meant nothing to her, just an enemy to be defeated, and she meant nothing to him beyond the usefulness of her power. The only time his suppressed feelings ever surfaced was in the dead of night when he slept and his unconscious had free reign.

Then she'd impaled him on the ruins of the Deathstar. He could have killed her before that. She'd been tiring near the end of their fight, not having quite the stamina he possessed. A few more parries and a hard thrust would have ended her. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. Apparently, she could. When he'd been distracted by his mother calling out to him at the moment of her death, she basically ended him.

In the moment he dropped to the ground, he'd accepted his failure. With that kind of injury in that environment, death was inevitable. So she'd absolutely amazed him by healing him back to wholeness. The look of overwhelming emotion on her face along with her words made him realize how wrong he'd been.

"I wanted to take your hand. Ben's hand."

His unrequited love had been mirrored by her own. Now in this place of darkness, to hear her whisper those words of love to him made him want to fight to get back to her. He wondered if she would have the courage to say those words to him directly. He wondered if he would have the courage to say them to her.

A noise broke through his thoughts. He listened, hoping Rey talked to him again. Then the noise sounded again. It repeated again and again, getting louder.

Footsteps. They echoed through the darkness, growing louder. He tried to sit up but blazing fire burned through his injured leg, making him groan. He helplessly waited for the source of the footsteps to arrive.

His breath caught as the enormous figure dressed completely in black stopped next to him. Whatever light had manifested in his presence glinted off the metallic lines around the forehead of his mask. Kylo Ren's mask.

Intimidating. Just the look he'd been going for.

"Are you here to kill me?"

The mask tilted to the side, curious about his question.

Ben licked his lips. "I spent most of my adult life trying to convince myself that Kylo Ren had destroyed Ben Solo, like he was a different person. But we're just different facets of the same person. Now that Ben Solo has reawaked, we're going to have to figure out how to survive together."

The mask stared down at him, unmoving.

Ben frowned as he waited for some sign of understanding from the masked figure. “Can we survive together?”

The figure's gloved hands went up to the sides of the mask and triggered the release mechanism. That hiss of air that Ben always loved flowed out as the front section slid apart from the main face plate. The hands pulled the mask off.

The gleaming white smile of a skeleton confronted him.

Ben screamed.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - Rey

Cuddled up against Ben's left side, trying to avoid his broken right leg, Rey saw his brow furrow. In sleep, he looked so much like a child pouting. An adorable child prone to temper tantrums. Rey kissed his temple and traced the frown lines in his forehead with her finger.

"It's okay, Ben. I'm here. You're safe," she whispered in his ear.

His muscles relaxed and his brow smoothed out.

Rey had become obsessed with touching him, kissing him. The dark, brooding man had always had an air of being untouchable and she wondered if he'd ever let anyone touch him like this. Of course, just the thought of another woman being with him burned her with jealousy. She kept such feelings restrained, especially since she wasn't totally sure he'd be alright with this level of physical intimacy from her. Yet, the thought of him actually responding to her caresses filled her with such longing. She'd never been touched like this before either.

The door opened and Padme strolled in carrying a large vase full of bright blue flower. A chocolate brown cloak engulfed her. She always wore a huge cloak that enveloped her body, and she didn’t allow Rey to ever hug her. Rey figured this was normal for a woman of such high stature as Padme. She gave Rey a knowing smile. "Hi! Has the doctor been in yet or did I miss him? I've got a question for him."

"Not yet, but he'll probably be here soon so I better get off the bed. I don't want to get yelled at again." Rey rolled her eyes.

Padme giggled as she put the flowers down on the side table. The entire room had been filled with a rainbow of blooms courtesy of Padme. "I think he looks happier when you snuggle up next to him. That doctor can't possibly think you'd hurt him."

"He seems to think I can." Rey shrugged and plunked down into the chair pulled close to the bed. She'd been in Coruscant for almost a week and owed an enormous debt to Padme. The woman had practically adopted Rey. When the hospital enforced their visiting hours and Rey had been determined to sleep on the bench outside the hospital, Padme had dragged Rey almost kicking and screaming to her apartment. It turned out that Naboo owned the entire floor of that building for whatever use their Senator had for it, so Padme gave Rey one of the spare bedrooms. Even though the hospital promised to call the second Ben woke up, the first couple of night had been sleepless ones for Rey. Padme had sat with her talking well into the night to take Rey's frantic mind off Ben. Every day Padme would shuttle her to the hospital, go to her office at the Senate building for a few hours of work, then join Rey back at the hospital.

"Those flowers are so beautiful. This room is looking more and more like a garden each day," Rey commented as she breathed in the wonderfully fragrant air.

"That's what I'm going for," Padme answered, smiling brightly.

A small knock sounded on the door before the doctor walked in. Rey stood up.

"Good afternoon, Rey. Senator. I've got some good news." He looked down at his pad.

Giddy relief welled up inside Rey. "Yes?"

"Ben's new scans from this morning showed that the fractures in his lower leg have completely healed. The worst fracture in the femur still needs more time, but appears to be knitting together well. Much of the swelling of his brain has come down, but there is still some residual bruising. I am confident that even that should resolve in the next few days and he'll most likely regain consciousness soon thereafter."

Rey tried to hold her squeal of delight in. She couldn't stop smiling at such fantastic news.

"Doctor?" Padme stopped him from turning to the door with an inquiring tone. "Does Ben necessarily need to be here in the hospital to compete his recovery?"

Rey frowned, not understanding what Padme was asking. Where else would he recover?

The doctor pursed his lips. "Not necessarily. We could transfer him to a recovery facility."

"I want him transferred to my private residence. I've already hired an extremely competent nursing droid service. I also know that portable scanners are available for future evaluations. We'll arrange for the transfer tomorrow." Padme stated all of this in a very matter-of-fact tone that didn't leave much room for argument.

Rey gaped at her.

The doctor stammered, obviously unsure how to handle such a situation. "I...he shouldn't... this is most unorthodox."

"Will it hurt him to move him?" Padme pressed.

He glanced at Ben then sighed. "No," he relented. "I'll arrange the transfer for tomorrow."

"Thank you so much, Doctor! Ben will be in good hands and Rey will be infinitely happier. You don't know how the poor thing frets for him when you kick her out every night. I thank you so much for your assistance in this matter," Padme said graciously.

"Of course, Senator." The doctor didn't sound thrilled, more so resigned. He nodded to Rey and left the room.

As the door clicked shut, Rey spun on Padme. "Why?! We've inconvenienced you so much already. Bringing Ben into your home, the expense of hiring a droid service, losing the use of another one of your rooms. It's too much! I could never repay you!"

Padme laughed. "I'm not asking for any repayment. I want to do this."

Tears of joy streamed down Rey's face at the thought of getting Ben out of the hospital and not having to leave him alone every night. "Thank you, thank you!" Forgetting herself, she ran to Padme, pulling her into a tight embrace.

"No!" Padme pushed her away but it was too late. She froze, her wide eyes staring at Rey in horror.

Rey's eyes locked on Padme’s midsection instead. "You're pregnant!"

Padme's hands traced down her abdomen. It pulled the cloak tight around the large swelling. She bit her lip, eyes down. 

Rey had little experience with pregnancies, but even she could tell Padme was fairly far along. "I'm sorry. I've been so absorbed with Ben, I didn't even realize."

Padme looked back up at her and gave her a half smiled. Her forefinger pressed against her lips. "Shh, it's a secret. Nobody knows. Well, except you and my husband."

Rey shook her head. "I didn't even know you had a husband."

Padme giggled, a hint of mischief in it. "That's a secret too."

"I'm so sorry I've uprooted your life. We should cancel the transfer, keep Ben here until he recovers and then we'd be out of your hair."

"Don't be silly, Rey! I want you and Ben there. Actually, I'm glad you found out. I've been keeping these secrets bottled up inside me for so long, I feel like I'm going to explode! At least I feel safe with you knowing. It's not going to be like that with a lot of other people in my life. Besides..." Padme looked wistfully at Ben.

"What?"

Padme shook her head. "No, it's silly."

Rey giggled this time. "Come on, I could use a little silly right now."

Looking back at Ben, Padme said, "He looks like my grandfather, my mother's father. He was a bear of a man, towering over most people. I can tell Ben is similar in height by how he practically doesn't fit in this bed. And his nose is just like my grandfather's, sharp and angular. I loved that man dearly. I remember him being able to pick me up and swing me through the air long after my father stopped being able to. He died right before my coronation as queen."

"Oh, Padme, how bittersweet! It's probably just a coincidence since his father was from Corellia and his mother from Alderaan. I don’t think he has any relations on Naboo."

"I know. It's just seeing him has brought back so many memories. It makes me think of you both as...family."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 – Rey

Both Rey and Padme drew back from their embrace at the same time. They simultaneously wiped their tears off their cheeks. To hear Padme call her family had so touched Rey that she couldn't help but hug her friend again. Somehow she'd ended up in the past with Ben critically injured and this woman had accepted them with no questions asked.

"It really is nice to hug someone again. I've had to keep my distance from everyone," Padme smiled. Then she straightened up. "You know what? You should come with me to the Senate Building. I'll give you the grand tour. You might even get to meet the High Chancellor."

"But what if Ben wakes up and I'm not here?" Rey worried, although she really did want to go with Padme.

"The doctor said it will probably be at least a few more days based on his latest scans. I'll leave my comm signature with the nurse droid so it will alert us to any change. Come with me," Padme implored.

Rey chewed on her lower lip as she tried to make a decision. After a moment, she relented. "Fine!"

Padme smiled cheekily.

Before leaving, Rey crossed the room to the side of Ben's bed. Whispering in his ear, she said, "I'm only leaving for a little bit. If you want to wake up, that's alright, but maybe try to wait for me. Okay?" Then she kissed him on the mouth.

"I know you said your relationship is complicated, but I sure hope he's as in love with you when he wakes up as you are with him. Cause you've got it bad!" Padme teased.

Rey threw one of Ben's extra pillows at her.

Padme ducked and it missed her. She stuck out her tongue at Rey. "Let's go!"

The walk to the Senate building was relatively short. Rey wasn't used to so much activity. There were people all over the walkways along with an endless stream of hovercraft traffic. When they arrived, Rey marveled at the sheer size of the dome-shaped Senate building. She figured that every single building she'd ever seen on Jakku could fit inside this one massive structure.

Padme guided her through the building. She showed Rey works of art and pointed out which ones came from which planets. They came to a less public area with a guard in place. The guard obviously knew Padme and gave her a warm greeting. He didn't seem phased by Padme wanting to take Rey to her office. Rey figured a lot of Senators brought guests along. He pushed a button and elevator doors opened behind him. Rey, who'd only been in an elevator a couple of times before, felt like the ride took a long time and wondered just how high they traveled.

When Padme led Rey into her office, Rey took in the beautifully-crafted, white marble desk with tall chairs facing it, the over-stuffed leather sofa and soft carpet. Yet, what made her gasped was the magnificent view from the huge window. "How do you get any work done? I wouldn't be able to stop looking out the window." She watched hovercrafts whiz by, but the clouds really caught her attention. They seemed to float just out of reach and Rey wanted to climb out and grab some of the fluff.

"Yes, I'm often captivated by the view. There are times I have to mentally slap myself to get back to work. Are you hungry? I'm famished. I've never eaten so much in my life since getting pregnant."

Rey nodded, never one to decline food.

Padme reached into a large cabinet. Rey noticed a small cooling unit inside. Padme handed her a bottle of water and a piece of fruit. She then plopped down on the sofa and patted the spot next to her.

Rey complied and sat down. She'd never seen such a fruit before, a bright yellow color with an elongated shape. She watched with fascination as Padme manipulated the outer layer and exposed the white fruit inside. Rey did the same and definitely enjoyed the taste with the first bite. She ended up devouring hers so fast, Padme had barely eaten half of hers.

Padme giggled. "You are an enthusiastic eater, Rey!"

"Comes from growing up on Jakku."

"Jakku? Desert planet, right? They aren't in the Senate so I don't know much about the place."

"You aren't missing anything," Rey commented. She didn't want to talk about her past. It would bring up subjects she couldn't talk about confidently in this time period. Her knowledge of history was sorely lacking and she deflected probing questions as best she could. Rey suspected Padme knew she held back on information but Rey didn't know what else to do. She worried Padme would think her insane if she told the truth. Instead, she switched the subject. "Do you know what you're having?"

"Nope. Haven't had any scans." Padme touched her belly, smiling sweetly.

"Oh!" Rey had been used to pregnant women on Jakku not seeking any kind of medical attention, but when she'd been with the Resistance, the few pregnant women she'd known had gotten several scans during their pregnancies. They always seemed to want to know the baby's gender. She figured it to be the norm on planets more affluent than Jakku.

"It's a secret, remember? I can't tell a doctor." Padme explained.

"What are you going to do when the baby is ready to come?"

Padme shrugged. "My husband and I have to figure that out." She finished her fruit and threw their peels in the trash. "Let me show you the Senate chambers. It's even more impressive than the view."

They stepped out of Padme's office and crossed to another door across the hall. A few steps across a dark walkway and they entered a circular pod with three chairs, much like the box seats of a theater. Rey leaned over the half wall and gaped at the enormity of the cavernous room they occupied. Row and rows of these pods lined the wall above and below her. Another one sat in the exact middle of the room. Rey had never realized that this many planets existed, let alone had been in the Republic's Senate. How could this many governing people have given up their power to the Emperor?

"Pretty impressive, huh?" Padme smiled and bumped against her in a playful manner.

Rey could only nod.

"What to see something really amazing?" Without waiting for an answer, Padme strode over to the central control pad. "This lets us understand the language of every delegate from every world. I can also send documents to every other pod from here. But the most amazing part is this!" She pushed a button and Rey felt the entire pod gently pull away from the wall and float down into the middle. It stopped just before encountering the central stand.

"Fun!" Rey exclaimed. "I'd love to get underneath and see the mechanics on this thing."

Laughing, Padme answered, "I'm not authorized for that, but I know they use repulsors."

"Why is that pod in the middle?" Rey pondered.

"That's where the High Chancellor presides. I'm hoping we run into him while we're here so you can meet him. He's actually from Naboo, just like me."

"Meeting him would be exciting!"

"I better get this thing back in place before someone notices and I get in trouble," Padme bit her lip mischievously as she pushed the button to guide the pod back into place.

As they exited the elevator on the ground floor, Padme cried out with excitement. "There he is! High Chancellor!" She grabbed Rey's hand and pulled her along.

An older man with wavy, white hair turned towards them as they approached. A deep cleft graced his chin and he smiled pleasantly. "Padme, my dear. How are you?" He gently drew her hand between his.

Rey squinted at him. There was something familiar about him. Something disturbingly familiar.

"Sir, I'd like to introduce you to my dear friend, Rey. She and her partner," the word Padme landed on when Rey couldn't adequately define her relationship to Ben, "were attacked by ruffians when they got here. They're staying with me during his recovery."

"How horrible!" he exclaimed. "Ruffians, you say? There should be an investigation."

"It's pending. Probably underworlders. Anyway, Rey, this is High Chancellor Sheev Palpatine."

Every muscle in Rey's body tensed as the name left Padme’s lips. Her grandfather, the Sith Lord Darth Sidious before his reign of terror as the Emperor, stood before her. Right now, he looked like a kindly old man, like the kind of grandfather she would see in her head when she'd imagine her family in the Jakku desert.

So many thoughts flew through her mind. She should kill him right now. It would save the galaxy all the pain and torture of the Empire. He won't expect it coming from her. It would be easy to just grab his head and snap his neck.

What would happen if she did that? She had no idea if her father had been born yet. Would she wipe herself out of existence? Or would a new timeline form and she'd escape the consequences of her actions?

"Are you alright, child?" he asked, a note of concern in his voice.

The moment of opportunity passed. Rey pasted a smile back on her face. "I'm just so in awe of meeting a man of such power," she told him.

He smiled, chest puffing out. "I'm just the leader of a fantastic group of delegates working to make the galaxy a better place."

"Thank you for your service," she replied.

"Very nice meeting you, Rey. A delight as always, Padme. I must be off to an appointment." He nodded to them both with a polite smile and strolled off to the security guard at the elevator.

Rey narrowed her eyes at his retreating back. Perhaps the Force hadn't just sent her to this time and place to save Ben's life.

"What was that?" Padme asked. "It was like a switch got flipped inside you the moment I said his name."

Rey looked at her, pressing her lips together. "I'm sorry, Padme. You aren't the only one with secrets."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Guess what, it's my birthday today! Therefore, I am giving you all the present of another chapter today! My family was very Star Wars-themed in their gifts. I got a Baby Yoda doll, Mandalorian cereal and a lightsaber mug! I'm so excited for this chapter. Lots of exciting stuff happen pretty rapidly from her on out. So loving your comments! Thanks you!

Chapter 6 - Rey

The transfer of Ben from the hospital to Padme's residence went off without a hitch. The generosity of her friend took Rey's breath away as she followed behind the medical droids. Padme hadn't let her see the room until Ben arrived.

As the droids moved him off the floating gurney and into the bed, Rey examined the room. A big window showcasing the upper levels of the city and those fabulously fluffy clouds encompassed the far wall. It let in a lot of natural light, but also had darkening screens if needed. The wall above the bed held a gorgeous painting of a star system complete with different colored planets and a fiery sun. The hospital bed was equipped with every medical gadget Rey could imagine, from fluid lines to resuscitation devices to a drop down middle for cleaning. The length of it fit Ben much better than the bed at the hospital and the wider width would be more comfortable for Rey to lie next to him. Padme had also put a fainting couch with a blanket in the corner of the room if Rey needed her own space to sleep. Technically, Rey had her very own room next door, she wasn't sure how much she'd be using it now that she wouldn't get kicked out every night. Of course, the Padme filled the room with even more flowers now that she could get away with it. She told Rey these specifically came from Naboo.

Ben definitely seemed more responsive in the days following the move, although still not conscious. When the droids checked his reflexes, he responded in a more normal manner than before. Rey could also see his eyes moving under the lids, a sure sign of dreaming. As much as she wanted him to wake up, a small part of her worried that he'd slip right back into the Kylo Ren persona. She didn't know if she could handle it if he left her to pursue power, forcing her to fight against him again. She had no one in this time period except Padme. Sometimes she'd whisper her concerns in his ear then kiss him as a show of her faith in him.

About three days later, Rey and Padme laughed hysterically watching the holo in Ben's room. Rey lay in her usual spot on the bed, curled next to Ben. Padme stretched out on the fainting couch. A fashion show featuring models dressed in the most outrageous outfits occupied their attention.

Rey snorted. "How does anyone call that a dress? It's just a box with circuit boards attached. He looks like he gutted a poor droid and is now wearing it to show off his kill!" Rey didn't have much experience with holoshows. Not once did she encounter a holo on Jakku, although she's not sure she'd have recognized it even if she had seen one. A few times she'd been shown holoshows during her time with the Resistance, but those often were broadcast with propaganda from the First Order, so usually they were avoided. This was so much more fun than anything she'd seen before.

"I definitely like the Wookie wearing the tuxedo," Padme commented.

"I know a Wookie and they can be quite stubborn. Not sure how they convinced him to wear that without someone getting their arms ripped off."

Padme snorted.

Captain Typho knocked on the open door to announce his presence. "Sorry to interrupt, Senator."

Padme pointed at the holo. "Captain, you've got to see the dress on this Twi'lek."

He stepped further into the room to peer at the screen. "Ack! It's completely see-through! I can see everything!" He drew back in revolt.

Rey and Padme both burst out laughing.

Typho rolled his eyes.

Stifling her laughter, Padme turned off the holo. "Sorry. Report."

Typho cleared his throat and yanked his uniform down. "Master Obi-Wan Kenobi has arrived to update you on the investigation. Senator Bail Organa has accompanied him."

Rey sat up hearing the name Organa. Leia's adoptive father! The General had spoken of him with such love and occasionally told stories about him. Since her adoptive mother had been sickly and died when she'd still been a child, he'd basically raised Leia on his own. He'd been a good man before losing his life with the destruction of Alderaan.

The name Obi-Wan Kenobi sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite remember where she'd heard it before. With the title of Master, she suspected him to be a Jedi.

"Thank you. I'll receive them in the sitting room."

Typho nodded and left the room.

"Come on, Rey. You knew you were going to have to talk about what happened eventually." Padme beckoned her to follow down the hall and Rey complied, excited to meet her mentor's legendary father.

The two men rose as they entered the room. Padme made introductions before they all say down. Rey got good vibes from both of them.

"Where's Ani?" Padme looked inquiringly at Obi-Wan.

The name meant nothing to Rey.

He smiled. "My apprentice got hung up by the Jedi Council. He'll be along shortly." Then Obi-Wan turned to Rey. "I was distressed to hear about what happened to you and your partner. How's he doing?"

"Healing, but still not conscious."

"Good. I've spoken with several of my contacts in the underworld, but haven't gotten any leads on your attackers. Could you tell me in your own words just what happened?"

Rey described every made-up detail of the incident, including that they were trying to start a new life here and the thugs stole all their money and belongings. Even she knew how farfetched it sounded, like she could be scamming Padme. Only the severity of Ben's injuries gave credence to her story. She kept all her emotions in check when Obi-Wan squinted at her, making her wonder if he detected her Force suggestion of honesty.

Most of the way through her story, one of Padme's assistants brought her a folded note. Padme read it then discreetly excused herself, promising to be back in a few minutes.

"Thank you so much for going through all of that for me, Rey," Obi-Wan said when she finished. "I'm going to consult with Captain Typho and make sure you are completely secure here in case anyone comes back for retribution for talking with the Jedi."

"Thank you," Rey said as they all stood up.

Obi-Wan nodded to her as he left the room.

Stepping next to her, Bail took her hand gently between both of his. "I'm so sorry this has happened to you, Rey. If there's anything I can do for you or Ben, please feel free to ask. Padme told me Ben's mother is from Alderaan?"

"Yes."

"Then we're practically family."

That word again. Family. The word that represented everything she'd been waiting for on Jakku. Rey had to work hard to keep tears out of her eyes, although the pitch in her voice probably gave her away.

"Thank you, Senator."

He cleared his throat and let her hand go. "I must get home. My wife is coming for a visit and I need to make sure we're ready for her. Tell Padme I'll see her at the subcommittee meeting tomorrow."

Rey nodded and watched him go. Then she strolled down the hallway back to Ben's room. Before she walked through the door, a noise a few doors down caught her attention. It sounded like a gasping noise, like someone could be in trouble. She ran down the rest of the hall and through the open door.

Padme stood near the window kissing a man, her arms wrapped around his neck. He kissed her back almost aggressively and his hand lay on her swollen belly. They leapt apart as she came in, guilty expressions on their faces.

The man with long locks of light brown looked at Padme, then back at Rey. His stare was intense and his jaw muscles tightened.

"It's okay," Padme pressed her hand to his chest and he relaxed. "This is Rey, the woman I told you about. She knows about you and our secret. Rey, this is my secret husband, Ani."

The man smiled and walked closer to her, holding out his hand. He had a nice smile, but his swagger had a cocky, almost arrogant quality to it. It reminded her of...Ben.

Rey took his hand.

"Anakin Skywalker. Nice to meet you, Rey."

His name hit her like a ton of bricks. Realization dawned on her as her brain made every single connection related to Anakin Skywalker, Darth Vader. Her eyes flew to Padme's enlarged abdomen. Without thinking, she stretched out her senses with the Force and found the life inside.

Two heartbeats. Two babies. Two distinctly familiar presences.

My mother was the daughter of Vader.

"Are you alright?" Anakin asked, tilting his head. "You've gone pale."

Rey's stomach clenched. Unlike her encounter with Palpatine, she couldn't seem to keep it together this time. "I'm sorry," she choked out. "I'm suddenly not feeling well."

Rey turned and fled from the room.

A/N: Guess what! While in the middle of writing this chapter, I meet a puppy named Kenobi! It seemed like fate.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thanks for all the birthday wishes! And now back to our regularly scheduled daily disbursement of chapters. Enjoy!

Chapter 7 - Ben

The air around Ben had changed despite still being just a sea of blackness. It was warmer with the subtle scent of flowers different from before. He wondered if he'd been moved from wherever he'd been before.

The pain in his head had decreased from an unbelievable roar to a mild ache. His leg hardly hurt at all except when he tried to move it, but it did itch. The sensation drove him crazy not being able to itch it.

Rey seemed to be there much more often now, which pleased him immensely. Hearing her voice, even if she talked to someone else near him, made his soul soar. In whatever place he'd been before, there'd be large swaths of time without her. There'd be other voices occasionally, talking about his heart rate or his blood pressure but he cared nothing for them. Of course, there had been that embarrassing conversation between two unknown woman about how well-endowed he was. He shuddered to think they may have been giving him a sponge bath or something. Weren’t droids supposed to do labor like that?

Ever since the pain in his head had mostly abated, the most wondrous thing happened. He could feel Rey touching him. His heart raced whenever she did it, and it seemed like she did it more often, growing bolder. She'd hold his hand. Lay with her body pressed up against his, always on his left side. Trace her finger across his forehead and over his cheeks. Kiss his temple, his eyelids, his lips.

He wanted her.

He wanted her more than anything he'd ever wanted in his life. More than becoming either a Jedi or a Sith Lord. More than becoming Supreme Leader. More than ruling the galaxy.

It came as both a revelation as well as a relief. He'd never really wanted anyone before. No woman or man or other had ever enticed him, although several had thrown themselves at him as he gained more and more power. As a teenager, he'd been worried there was something wrong with him to have no desire for carnal relations. Other Padawans around him had been experimenting with sex but he'd had no interest.

Of course, his body still had needs. He took care of himself, dealing with it like he would any other bodily function rather than as pleasure. However, over the past year, thoughts of her had begun to intrude unbidden into his mind during those sessions. Sometimes he'd push them away, angry after whatever latest fight they'd had. Other times he'd welcomed them.

A sound close by echoed in the darkness.

Ben froze, eyes scanning around for the source of the sound. Nothing had visited him since the skeletal remains of Kylo Ren. That had really freaked Ben out to look inside the empty eye sockets and gaze upon the maliciously toothy grin. Then it had faded away back into the black.

The sound came again. Like a tap followed by a scrape. Tap, scrape, pause. Tap, scrape, pause.

"Who's there?"

Tap, scrape, pause.

"Kylo?" The mental image of his skeletal alter ego stalking towards him, possibly dragging a broken right leg, made him wince.

Something hard poked at his side through the black.

Ben's whole body jerked away and he reached out to grab at whatever had jabbed him. His hand closed around a long, thin object, which he could tell was made of wood by the texture. He was thankful it wasn’t made of bone.

"Fast you are," said a high-pitched but gravelly voice. "But not quite back up to strength."

The wooden stick yanked out of his hand and smacked him on the arm.

"Ow! Who are you?" Ben demanded.

As if to answer, a faint light illuminated his attacker. Ben frowned at the short, green creature with incredibly long, pointed ears.

"Know me you do not?"

Ben chewed on his lower lip as he studied the being. Then he nodded. "You're Master Yoda, aren't you?"

Yoda smiled, smug satisfaction on his face.

"I remember Luke talking about training with you on Dagobah."

"Luke, good student, eager learner, although old to be a Padawan." The walking stick poked him again. "Are you Jedi?"

"No! Stop hitting me with that thing!" Ben shouted.

"Are you Sith?" Yoda drew the hated word out like a snake hissing.

Ben paused, thinking. "No," he finally breathed out. “Not anymore.” The quest for power along with much of his anger had died within him.

"Hmmm, what do you want to be now?"

"I don't know." Ben looked away from Yoda's scrutinizing eyes. "The Resistance has won. I'll have to answer for my crimes with The First Order." He blew out a breath, the next words difficult. "I guess I really just want to be with Rey, but I'm not sure if that's possible. She's a new Jedi and a war hero."

Yoda nodded. "Love her you do."

"Yes," he whispered, almost afraid that admitting it out loud would steal it away from him.

"In this place, change will make this possible perhaps."

"This place?" Obviously he wasn't still on Exegol, but what place had he ended up that would allow him and Rey to be together?

"A unique opportunity the Force has granted you, the ability to change the outcome."

Ben frowned again. "I don't understand."

"You will." Yoda's voice grew deeper and even more gravelly. "You will."

The light dimmed around Master Yoda.

Ben leaned forward to see the green alien better.

The wooden walking stick moved with incredible speed and smashed Ben across the face.

"WAKE UP, BEN SOLO!"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8 – Rey

Rey dashed down the hallway, tears streaming down her face. She choked back her sobs, not sure where she ran. Her mind had cracked at the discovery of just who Padme was.

Half blinded, she didn't see Obi-Wan until she crashed right into him. Rey got knocked to the floor, but Obi-Wan managed to hit the wall and stay upright.

"Rey!" Obi-Wan helped her to her feet. "What happened?" His lips parted in concern as he looked upon her face.

"We're all connected! I thought it was random, but it's not! We're all connected!" she cried. Then she pushed away from him desperately as her stomach rolled. Darting past him, she beelined to the refresher at the end of hall and rushed inside. Her stomach rejected all of its contents as she heaved into the vac tube.

It didn't register to her that Obi-Wan followed in behind her until she finished and sat back on her heels. He passed her a tiny cup of water, which she accepted gratefully. The cool water helped rid her mouth of the horrible taste of bile.

"Are you going to vomit again?" he asked.

She shook her head then finished the rest of the water in the cup.

He took the cup from her hand and placed it next to the sink. "I know somewhere relatively private we can talk." He helped her off the floor and guided her through the bedroom of one of Padme's assistants. A set of doors opened onto a remote balcony at the back of the building. "Now tell me what happened. The truth this time."

Rey wrapped her arms around her body. Her respiratory rate increased again. "I don't know if I can. You won't believe me. I wouldn't believe me!"

"I promise I will believe you, no matter what you tell me," Obi-Wan assured her in a calm voice.

Rey chewed at her lip then relented. The knowledge she carried weighed very heavy on her shoulders. "Ben and I have traveled back in time."

To his credit, Obi-Wan only blinked. He showed no other signs of disbelief. "How far back have you traveled?"

"About sixty years, I think."

"How did you come to be here?"

Rey took a deep breath, trying to figure out the least complicated way to describe what happened. "Ben and I fought a great battle against a Sith Lord."

"A Sith Lord?!"

"Yes. We defeated him, but Ben was gravelly injured, close to death. I held him as a great wind blew up around us. I thought the ground had opened below us and we were falling to our deaths. Then we ended up here, decades in the past and halfway across the galaxy." Her voice sped up. "I thought the Force brought us here specifically to save Ben's life and running into Padme was completely random. But it wasn't! I don't know what to do!"

He put his hand on her shoulder. "We'll figure it out. What did you mean when you said we're all connected?"

Rey winced. This was going to be the hardest part. "You know Padme's pregnant, right?"

"I do, but she has not told me directly so I don't acknowledge it. I respect her privacy."

"She's pregnant with twins. Their names are-" Rey stopped herself. "I mean, their names will be Luke and Leia." Her voice dropped down to a whisper. "Leia is Ben's mother."

Obi-Wan drew in a sharp breath. "Oh, my."

"There's more," Rey whispered again.

He nodded for her to continue.

"Surely you know who the father of the twins is."

"I surely don't."

"You know him. He's a Jedi."

Obi-Wan shook his head. "No. It is forbidden. The Jedi Council would never allow it." His words held conviction.

"Hence the need for a secret marriage, a secret pregnancy. He turns to the Dark Side and takes the name Darth Vader. He becomes the most feared figure in all the galaxy."

Obi-Wan hung his head and now the tears ran down his face. "No, no, no. He couldn't have. It was prophesied that he would bring balance to the Force."

Rey's heart broke for him. He knew who she spoke of without having to say his name. She placed her hand over his and gave it a little squeeze, sorry for what she had to tell him next. "He did bring balance to the Force. In the end, only two Sith and two Jedi survived."

His head whipped up and he looked at her with horror.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I don't know what to do. I probably shouldn't have told you any of this. Does the future want me to change things or am I supposed to preserve the past?" Her voice had sped up with anxiety.

Obi-Wan wipe his tears off his face. "We'll figure it out, Rey."

He moved to go back inside, but she grabbed his arm to stop him.

"There's one more thing."

He looked at her expectantly.

"I'm worried about Padme."

He frowned. "Why?"

"In all of this, I've heard nothing about her. I don't think Luke or Leia know anything about her either. There is no record of what happened to her that I know of. She is such a loving, generous person and I fear for her fate. I worry that her death may have been the catalyst to drive Anakin to the Dark Side."

Obi-Wan closed his eyes. "Poor Padme. She doesn't deserve that." Then he opened them and looked at Rey. His head tilted slightly. "And who are you, Rey? How are you connected to all of this?"

Rey drew back, opening then closing her mouth. What could she say? Scavanger girl caught up in an epic adventure? The last Jedi? The granddaughter of Darth Sidious?

Before she could say anything, the Force tightened around her. Every muscle tensed and her eyes widened as the connection between her and Ben opened. He appeared before her, still in the hospital gown, but his eyes were open and he saw her. Then the connection broke.

Rey reeled back, hitting the guard rail around the balcony.

Obi-Wan gripped her arm to steady her. "Rey! What was that? I could feel the Force blazing around you."

"Ben's awake," she breathed out.

"How do you know?"

"Ben and I are bonded through the Force. We're a Dyad."

"I've never heard of such a thing."

"Neither had I." She moved to back inside, but he stopped her this time.  
"Who are you, Rey?" he asked again.

Rey pressed her lips. She didn't answer, getting more anxious to get to Ben. Pushing past him, she took off towards his room.

Obi-Wan ran behind her.

Ben's yelling echoed down the hall. "Get off me!"

Padme and Anakin tore out of the room they'd been in and met Rey and Obi-Wan at Ben's door. They crowded through the doorway with Rey in front.

Ben huddled in the corner of the room, his arms over his head. His broken leg had been swathed in healing pads so he couldn't bend it. It stuck out awkwardly from his body. A medical droid hovered over him, attempting to lift him back into bed.

"I said get off me!" Ben bellowed. He lashed out with his hand, never making contact but sending the droid flying across the room. It shattered against the wall hard enough to dent it.

"Did he just use the Force?" Anakin whispered to Obi-Wan.

"Ben!" Rey shouted at him, ignoring the others.

He looked over at her, eyes locking on her face. "Rey!" The pure emotion in his voice as he said her name touched her heart.

Rey rushed to his side. She ran a soothing hand down the side of his face. "Ben, your leg. It was badly broken and it's not completely healed yet. You've got to get back in bed or you risk re-breaking it."

He glanced at the others watching him, then looked back at Rey. "Where are we?"

Rey sighed. "That's a very long story, one I promise to tell you. But you've got to get back in bed. Will you let these two men help you?"

Ben licked his lips as he examined Anakin and Obi-Wan. Finally he nodded yes.

The two Jedi walked over to Ben. Each man took one of Ben's arms and hoisted them over their shoulders. Ben grunted but otherwise stayed quiet as they maneuvered him back into the bed.

Once Ben was settled and the Jedi had moved to the other side of the room, Padme stepped up to the bed. "I can't tell you how happy I am that you've woken up, Ben. My name is Padme and I've kind of adopted you and Rey." She pointed to the men. "This is-"

"No!" Rey yelled. She couldn't bear the shock of Ben finding out about their current situation like that. "There's been a lot of excitement and he needs to rest. We can do formal introductions tomorrow." It would give her time explain everything.

Padme looked taken aback for a moment, but then she nodded. "Of course, you're right. Goodnight, Ben."

Ben's eyes softened. "Goodnight, Padme. And thank you."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 - Ben

Ben watched as Padme and the two men exited out of the room. He found it very interesting that they dressed as Jedi. He couldn't fathom who they could be.

"I swear I can fix that droid, Padme!" Rey shouted down the hall before she closed the door. She sat down on the bed next to him and took his hand in hers. He liked that.

"Rey, what is going on?"

She looked at their hands clasped together instead of looking up at him. "You died on Exegol, Ben."

“It was worth it to save your life. But I don't feel especially dead." The ache in his head and leg confirmed that.

Rey sighed, now looking up at him. "I think the Force had other plans for you." She relayed to him the same thing she told Obi-Wan about ending up here.

"So just where is here?"

"Coruscant. About sixty years ago."

Ben's entire body jerked at the implications of what she'd just said. "How long have we been here?"

"Eleven days. Your head injury was fairly severe, hence the coma. You had surgery for a liver laceration and internal bleeding. Your leg was broken in three places. Two are already healed, but the femur fracture was really bad. Good news is the healing pads are working well so it should be better by the end of the week. Does it hurt?"

He ran his hand across the healing pads. “A little."

Rey's thumb absentmindedly traced circles along the skin of his wrist. His breath hitched in his throat from the stimulation. His eyes traced their way from their joined hands, up her body, across her mouth to lock with her eyes. The air surrounding them seemed to thicken and crackle with electricity.

In a heartbeat, their lips collided. Her fingers tangled in his hair and his hand wrapped around her waist. This kiss overflowed with passion. Any doubts either of them thought about the other’s feelings evaporated.

The door cracked open and one of the Jedi slipped in. "Oh, I'm sorry!"

Rey broke away from him.

Ben wanted to throw something at the interrupting man, although the blush coloring Rey's cheeks at being caught made it almost worth it.

The bearded man cleared his throat. "I thought we could continue our earlier conversation, but I can come back later."

"No, that's okay. I've only just told Ben about when and where we are, but nothing else. I... got distracted."

"I noticed," the man deadpanned.

"There's more beyond the time traveling part?" Ben asked. Anything else seemed like it would be trivial.

"Apparently, a lot more," the man commented.

"Ben, this is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi," Rey introduced.

The name echoed through his mind. Images of his uncle and his mother telling him of Obi-Wan Kenobi's legend dredged up from long ago. "Seriously?" Ben asked.

"Seriously." Obi-Wan smiled. "I'm guessing you know me in the future."

"Never met you before. You died before I was born."

The smile fell. "Oh."

Ben continued. "But I am named for you."

Obi-Wan tilted his head in question. "Ben? I don't understand."

"Ben is the name you took when you went into exile with Luke on Tatooine."

Obi-Wan's eyes widened. "Exile?"

Rey winced. "Umm, I haven't told him a lot of what happens yet."

"Oops, sorry. Spoilers. You're probably going to get a lot of them if you stay with us." Ben warned him.

"I'll take my chances. Go on."

"You died during the mission to rescue my mother when she'd been captured by Darth Vader. She never forgot your sacrifice for her and wanted to honor you by naming her son after your chosen name." Ben then chuckled. "You were also the one to hire my father for transport, which is how he met my mother. So technically, I owe you my life."

"Wow, I never heard that story about how your parents met!" Rey exclaimed. "How romantic that he rescued her!"

Ben eyed her. "The General didn't tell you stories of her good old days while you were together in the Resistance?"

"Oh, she told me some stories! Like how she rescued your father from Jabba the Hut when Han was frozen in carbonite."

"But then Jabba captured her and dressed her up in a metal bikini. How she hated that bikini!" Ben snorted. "My dad would mention sometimes just to rile her up."

"But Luke came to the rescue and Leia strangled Jabba with the chain he used to control her!" Rey retorted.

They both laughed.

"Oh, my." Obi-Wan said, his eyebrows about as high as they could go.

Growing serious, Ben looked back at Obi-Wan. "The Jedi who was with you, the one who helped me get back in bed. Was that...?"

"Yes," Rey whispered.

"Anakin Skywalker, my apprentice," Obi-Wan confirmed.

Looking up at the ceiling, Ben sighed. "I would have given anything to meet him before, but now I'm not so sure." Conflicted feelings warred within him. He’d hero-worshipped Darth Vader ever since Snoke had told him the truth about his lineage. Yet, as the darkness retreated from him, he felt differently. Other than what he eventually becomes, he knew almost nothing about Anakin Skywalker.

"He hasn't yet turned to the Dark Side. At least I think." Rey turned to Obi-Wan.

The Jedi shook his head. "It distresses me so to learn that Anakin becomes a Sith. He's like my brother. What about Padme?"

Both Rey and Obi-Wan look at Ben.

Ben shrugged. "I've never heard of Padme."

Rey pressed her lips together before speaking. "She's Anakin's secret wife."

"What?!"

"And she's pregnant," Obi-Wan added.

"With twins," Rey finished.

Ben stared at them with an incredulous look on his face. "Are you telling me that kind woman is my grandmother?"

Rey and Obi-Wan nodded.

"And she's pregnant with my mother and uncle?"

They nodded again.

"You've never heard of her then?" Obi-Wan asked, troubled.

Ben shook his head. "I'm sorry. My mother did keep secrets from me, but since she was raised by the Organas, she only ever spoke of them as her parents. Tell me about Padme. Maybe I heard something about her and didn't realize its significance."

"Padme is a Senator from Naboo. Very well-loved by her people. She formerly was the Queen of Naboo, which is an elected position. She once-"

"Wait!" Ben held up his hand to stop Obi-Wan. "Did you say she was Queen of Naboo?"

"Yes," Obi-Wan.

"Kriff!" Ben hit the side of the bed, grinding his teeth.

Rey touch his shoulder. "What is it?"

Ben swallowed. "Right after I found out Darth Vader was my grandfather, I tried to find out everything I could about him. There was an officer, old guy from way back in the Imperial days. He told me about a rumor he'd heard that Vader had Force choked the Queen of Naboo to death. And she died pregnant."

"We can't let that happen! Not to her," Obi-Wan stated emphatically.

"But there's the question!" Rey cried. "Are we supposed to change events of the past? What if we change things to such a degree that we're never born? What kind of consequences would there be? Or were we really just here to heal Ben and then he and I are supposed to hide on the outskirts in order to let time play out the way it's supposed to?"

A unique opportunity the Force has granted you, the ability to change the outcome.

His time in the darkness had become mostly a blur, but he remembered part of the conversation with Yoda. He thought it just a dream, but perhaps it had been more. He cringed as the memory of the skeletal Kylo Ren re-emerged but then he grew warm at the remembered whispers and touches from Rey.

"I...umm...I think Master Yoda told me the answer. He said we could change the outcome."

"You know Master Yoda?" Obi-Wan asked.

"No, he died before I was born too."

"So he visited you in the hospital? He is here on this planet."

"No, he was inside my head. And I think he was from the future because he talked about training Luke on Dagobagh."

Obi-Wan made a face of disgust. "Ugh, Dagobagh. Makes me glad I ended up on Tatooine. At least it's a dry heat."

Seemingly anxious over the decision, Rey steered them back to the original question. "So according to the Master Yoda in your head, we are supposed to change things."

"Yes," Ben answered.

Rey straighten up, her lips pursed. "Then we kill Palpatine first."

"No!" Ben shouted as he realized the implication of such a deed.

"The High Chancellor!" exclaimed Obi-Wan. "Why?"

Rey's eyes blazed. "He is the Sith Lord, Darth Sidious! He turns Anakin to the Dark Side, and makes him into the feared Darth Vader. They orchestrate the murder of all the Jedi! Then Palpatine destroys the Republic and creates the Galactic Empire, ruling as the iron-fisted Emperor!"

Obi-Wan's skin turned pale and he sat down heavily on the couch. Ben pitied the man to have such a bleak future all laid out in front of him like that. Yet, it had to be done.

"No," Ben said again, steel lacing his tone.

"Actually, Rey's made a good point," Obi-Wan offered. "If Palpatine is the mastermind of all of this, killing him could completely change the future."

"No!" Ben yelled again.

Rey put her knee up back on the bed. She cupped Ben's cheek and kissed him sweetly on the temple. "One life means nothing compared to millions."

"It means something to me!" Grief mixed with anger at the thought of losing her threatened to overwhelm him.

She leaned in, pressing her forehead against his. "You probably wouldn't even remember. It would be painless," she whispered to him.

He put his hands on her shoulders. "Never. We share a soul, Rey. I wouldn't forget and I wouldn't survive it."

Obi-Wan cleared his throat. "Obviously, there's something you haven't told me."

Rey backed off the bed. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked down at the floor. She seemed to expect Ben to speak.

"Rey is Palpatine's granddaughter. I also don't think her father's been born yet."

"Oh!" Obi-Wan examined Rey with hard eyes, but then they softened. "Ben's right. That is too much of a sacrifice to make. We'll find another way," he reassured her.

Rey gave the tiniest little nod. "What do we do now?" she asked in a soft voice.

Ben huffed. "First thing we do is get me out of this bed." He turned to Obi-Wan. "Do you have any extra lightsabers?

A/N: Thank you so much for reading and all your lovely comments! There have been a lot of questions coming up about this so I'm going to address it here. Star Wars is very ambiguous about who knows what and when they found out about it. For the purpose of this story, I am strictly going on the movies. I have not read the books or comics, which are technically not considered canon anyway, so I am not counting them (just like how "The Rise of Skywalker" book is trying to say that the kiss between Rey and Ben at the end was platonic. Total BS. Platonic kisses do not last 11 seconds and that was the first time in 3 movies that he smiled!) My interpretation is that Luke and Leia had no idea who their mother was. When Leia speaks of her mother at the end of "Return of the Jedi", she has to be talking about Breha Organa. This is the tragedy of Padme, that she has been forgotten. The only people who knew she had children were Anakin/Darth Vader, Obi-Wan, Yoda and Bail Organa. There is no indication they told Luke or Leia about her and all of them were dead by the time Ben was born. Hope that helps answer the questions! Would love to have a discussion with anyone who has any other knowledge on this. Love you all!


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Warning!! The second half of this chapter is sexually explicit. Even if you plan to skip that part, it is recommended to read the first half for character dialogue. Thanks!

Chapter 10 – Ben

"Does it hurt?"

Ben sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing at his leg. The healing bandages had been removed a few days ago and the doctor had been amazed at how fast such a complicated break had healed. Ben had spent a lot of time working on self-healing techniques, which seemed to pay off when the doctor cleared him for activity.

He glanced up at Padme standing in the doorway. A golden cloak encompassed her ever-growing belly. She carried a tray laden with food.

"I ran around the length of the building." He smiled cheekily. "Might have pushed it a little too hard. It aches now."

Padme tsked at him as she walked in the room and laid the tray on the table next to the bed. Then she bit her lip as she looked down at Rey, trying not to laugh.

Rey lay on the fainting couch, sleeping soundly. Her mouth hung open and she snored softly. She clutched her tools protectively against her chest. Ben found her absolutely adorable.

"She really meant it when she said she could fix that droid you destroyed." Padme admired the newly fixed medical droid sitting in the corner.

"Rey is incredibly talented at fixing things, especially droids. I think a lot of it came from her years as a scavenger on Jakku."

Padme sighed. "She's so reluctant to talk about her childhood."

"It wasn't a very good one from what I've learned."

Padme's eyes traveled back to him. "She's really something special. I've become quite fond of her. And she loves you. You know that, right?"

He knew. Yet, hearing someone say it out loud filled him with happiness. It made him feel light, like an immense burden had been lifted off his shoulders. He realized with a bit of a shock that this joy had replaced all of his anger. "She's everything to me," he whispered.

A huge smile brightened Padme's face.

Gazing upon her, Ben wondered what his life could have been like if he'd had a grandmother like her to help raise him. Would he have been so tempted by the Dark Side if she'd stood by him? He wished he could tell her everything, especially about who he is to her, but he'd agreed with Obi-Wan to keep that secret.

"May I sit with you while you eat?"

Her question caught him off guard as he forced his thoughts away from all the what-ifs. No matter what happened in this timeline, it was too late for him. "Please," he answered and climbed on the bed. He pulled the tray onto his lap.

She sat down on the bed. "If you're able to run around the building, I think you're ready to eat with the rest of us. You don't have to take your meals in here anymore like an invalid."

He nodded, smiling around a mouthful of food.

Something on the muted holo caught Padme's attention. "Volume up," she commanded.

Ben caught something about a trade federation and a separatist faction. It dredged up some boring history lectures from his school days about how the Old Republic fell. He ignored it, focusing instead on Padme's abdomen. Using the Force, he explored the life growing inside her. He'd done this twice before and had been glad Padme didn't have any inkling of what he was doing. Once he'd done it with Anakin there, and the Jedi's narrowed eyes suggested he had sensed Ben doing something, but not exactly what. Now he only did it when to they were alone.

He found the girl, ignoring the boy. He'd pushed aside much of his ambivalent feelings for his uncle, but it was his mother he wanted. With the Force, he could feel her heart beating, blood running through her vessels, tiny bursts of electricity as synapses formed and slight movements of her limbs. He marveled at being so close to the woman who'd been such a central figure in his childhood and then transformed into a perceived enemy when he'd submitted to the darkness. He hadn't seen her since he was nine and left at the Jedi Temple, but part of him never stopped pining for her love and approval.

The memory of his thumb refusing to depress the weapon's button that would blast her and her compatriots into space flashed through his mind. Murdering his father had initially seemed so easy, a show of his true commitment to the Dark Side. Unfortunately, it had twisted him up with so much conflict and he'd regretted the decision more than he'd ever imagined. Just the idea of murdering his mother after that had made him physically recoil. Yet, here she was, not even born yet.

The overwhelming urge to spill his guts to Padme threatened his resolve, but he held it in. Instead, all he allowed out was "I loved my mother."

She turned away from the holo and peered at him with a confused look on her face. "What?"

Ben swallowed, not wanting to freak her out but, even if she never learned the truth about him, he was determined to let her know this at least. "I loved my mother. Even when we were on opposites sides of everything, I still loved her."

Padme stared at him for a few moments, brows drawn together. Then she relaxed and nodded slowly. "I think I get what you're saying." She smiled, but then jerked her body. "Oh!"

Ben's hand closed on her arm to steady her. "Are you alright?"

Laughing, Padme ran a hand down her swollen belly. "Just a big kick. I think the baby appreciated your words about loving your mother."

Ben laughed with her as he took his hand off her. He would have bet money that Leia had been the kicker.

Padme stood up and picked up the empty tray. Her smile faded. "I better check in at the Senate. This whole business with the Separatists has everyone up in arms. Perhaps I will see you two for dinner."

"I hope so."

He glanced over at Rey, still sleeping and oblivious to anything that had just taken place. Stifling a yawn, Ben stretched out on the bed. It annoyed him that he still required more sleep than he'd been used to before this recovery period. Not too many more thoughts went through his head as he slipped into unconsciousness.

He had no idea how long he slept before he floated back into consciousness. Before he even opened his eyes, he felt her touch. The gentle caresses of her fingers along the side of his face not pressed into the pillow warmed his whole being. He breathed deeply, catching her scent close to him. Then he opened his eyes.

She lay on the bed facing him, so close and yet not close enough. Her eyes looked into his and he watched with fascination as her pupils dilated. She didn't stop with her caresses.

Ben placed his hand over her hip, right where she curved the most. His thumb snuck under her shirt and traced circles over her skin. He felt the tiniest shiver run through her.

They lay like that in silence for a long time. Time became meaningless and he didn't care. He'd lay like this forever with her if he were allowed.

Rey licked her lips, breaking the spell. It sent a flash of desire coursing through him. The way her tongue dragged across her lower lipped seemed to be begging him to kiss her.

Then she spoke, her voice soft and sincere. She said words he hadn't heard in so many years, not since his mother said a tearful good-bye as she dropped him off at his uncle's temple. Words a part of him had always longed to hear, a part he'd tried to destroy.

"I love you, Ben Solo."

He knew it to be true. "And I you, Rey." His voice choked a little with emotion as he said it.

"I've loved you since Exegol, possibly even before that. When Palpatine told me I had no one but him, and you came for me, I fell utterly in love with you. Be one with me, Ben." Her eyes locked on his.

Desire flooded through him. He nodded and leaned in to capture her lips with his own. The kiss sparked fire that ignited every part of him. His hand on her hip tightened.

Rey's fingers traced back into his hair, fingernails scraping across his scalp. She sucked his lower lip into her mouth and lightly scraped her teeth against it.

He moaned at the sensation of it.

She released his lip and opened her mouth more fully against his. Their tongues met in the middle, dancing against each other. This deep kissing built up that fire already burning inside.

He couldn't stand not touching, tasting more of her. He broke the kiss and attacked her neck. He licked and sucked at her skin, delighting in the way her pulse jumped. This time it was her turn to moan.

The urge to taste every inch of her assaulted him. He reluctantly left her neck. Then he took her left hand in his and kissed her palm. He sucked each one of her fingers, one by one, into his mouth, licking her finger tips. She giggled, the sweet melody of it driving him on. He kissed the inside of her wrist and the inside of her elbow. He nibbled his way up her arm and over her shoulder. Then he repeated the same actions on the right.

This time she pushed him away. She sat up and pulled off her shirt then ripped at her breast bindings. She seemed so anxious to get them off, he ended up sitting up to help her unwind them. Then he followed suit by pulling his own shirt off. He flinched a little as she ran her fingers down his chest, which felt like streaks of molten heat.

Seeing her perfect breasts made him drool, forcing him to swallow. She must have interpreted it as nervousness rather than him savoring the moment of actually just looking at her. A blush spread across her face as she grasped his hand and guided it to her left breast.

As he cupped the weight of it, he ran his thumb across her nipple. She drew in a quick breath, which made him smile. His mouth followed his thumb. The nipple hardened as he swirled his tongue around it. His own body hardened in response. His other hand found her right breast and kneaded the mound of flesh before his mouth changed sides, not wanting to deny the other breast.

Her hands returned to his hair, tangling into his dark locks. Her chest heaved as her breathing picked up. She slowly lay back down on the bed, her hands bring him down on top of her.

Grudgingly, he left her breasts to continue his exploration of this wondrous creature that was Rey. He kissed his way down her stomach, stopping briefly to probe her navel. This elicited more giggling. Ben decided her laughter was fast becoming one of his favorite sounds.

When his kisses reached the top of her pants, he looked back up at her.

She looked back at him and nodded. Permission granted.

Hooking his fingers under the waistband, he pulled both her pants and underwear down her legs and tossed them to the floor. While he was up, he removed his own pants and underwear. Then he gripped her left foot. He pressed his fingers into the arch and massaged outwards. He paid special attention to her toes.

She moaned again, her head turning to the side. "How can someone touching my feet feel so amazing?"

He chuckled. "It's easy. Your feet are so small!"

She snorted and kicked him lightly in the shoulder.

He laughed harder. "Your feistiness turns me on."

"Good! Rub my other foot," she demanded as she shoved her right foot at him.

"With pleasure." He massaged this one the same way. Then he worked his way up, massaging her ankles and calves and kissing the backs of her knees until he settled with his head between her legs. As his hands massaged her inner thighs, he slowly opened them wider. Finally, his hands rested on either side of her core. He licked his lips as he gazed upon her inner most secret.

Her whole body stiffened. She partially sat up on her elbows. "What are you doing?"

His eyes flicked back to her face. Worry lines marked her forehead and the most adorable little pout turned her mouth down. "I want to taste you. All of you."

"You don't have to do that. It doesn't seem like something a man would want to do."

"I told you, I want to. Trust me, you'll like it," he reassured her.

She looked at him for a beat longer, unsure. Then she blew out a breath. "Okay." She laid her head back on the pillow but her muscles remained tense.

His gaze returned to her core. He silently thanked the older Padawan at the temple who'd regaled the younger boys with an intricate description of just how to do this right. He hadn't really wanted to listen, but had been afraid of the other boys' recriminations if he pointed out that they all had to take a vow of celibacy when they became Jedi. It would make such a lesson moot.

He used the sides of his hands to spread her folds apart. Her feet moved up and out, now resting against his elbows. He breathed in, loving her uniquely feminine smell. His tongue gently lapped along the middle of her.

She gasped, her muscles almost painfully taut.

"Rey, I'm not going to hurt you. Relax."

She listened and he felt her muscles release some of the tension.

He resumed his previous activity. His tongue lapped up her again and he noticed her squeak when he hit one certain spot. He remembered the Padawan emphasizing this bundle of nerves, claiming it to be source of a woman's pleasure. His tongue started back at the bottom, but this time he stopped right at that spot.

"There," she breathed out. "Right there."

The Padawan apparently had known what he was talking about. He focused on that particular spot, his tongue swirling around the nub. He pressed in further to add to the pressure.

Her breathing picked up again and she grew wetter around him.

He became intoxicated by the taste of her. Yet, it seemed like an element was missing. He slipped a finger inside her opening below where his tongue worked.

Her legs almost closed around his head before she remembered herself and opened them again.

He slipped in another finger. Kriff, she was so tight! He worried about hurting her when he finally took her. He added a third finger as he ran them along her inner walls in an attempt to stretch her somewhat.

The moaning resumed as he increased the ministrations of both his fingers and tongue on her. Her thighs trembled around him as she fought to keep them open.

Moaning changed to whimpering, which changed to cries. Her back arched against the bed. The inner muscles clenched and spasmed around his fingers as she reached climax. He couldn't help but moan himself as he imagined just how that would feel on his shaft instead of his fingers. The thought made him painfully hard.

Ben sat back on his knees and wiped his face across his forearm before looking down at her.

Rey's breathing slowed and he could see her visibly relaxing. Her eyes, hooded, met his.

"You are a goddess. You are my goddess. You brought me back to life. I worship you, Rey."

"Join with me. Now." Her tone did not allow for argument.

He obeyed her command by stretching his body over hers. His hands pressed into the bed next to her shoulders and his hips nestled between her thighs. "This is probably going to hurt."

"I know. I don't care. Join with me," she repeated. Her legs, those long, toned legs, wrapped around his waist. His shaft rubbed against her slick core.

He shivered with arousal. His lips found hers and he kissed her hard. As she kissed him back, he reached down between them, gripped himself and entered her.

She broke the kiss, gritting her teeth.

He paused.

"Keep going," she ground out.

He complied, pushing in as gently as he could until he fully sheathed himself inside her. The feel of her surrounding him was pure ecstasy. He kissed her again, this time softer, sweeter, letting his lips convey his devotion to her.

She winced at first, but then kissed him back. She deepened the kiss, her tongue invading his mouth. Her hips moved against his, making him gasp at the sensation. She moved again even as their tongues tangled. Her movements developed into a rhythm.

He matched her rhythm. Soon, at her body's urging, he quickened his pace. The fire burning inside him had been stoked and he wondered if he'd be consumed by pleasure.

As he thrust inside her, her arms wound around his neck. "Yes, Ben," she breathed. "Yes, yes, yes," she chanted.

The friction inside her drove him to the edge of his sanity. He recognized the signs of her impending release as she turned her head to the side and arched her body up against him with a cry. He buried himself as deep as possible within her heat. Her inner muscles clenched around him and it was as euphoric as he could have imagined.

"Rey," he moaned as he emptied himself into her.

They stayed joined together for several minutes, panting and covered in a fine sheen of sweat. He gently kissed the corner of her mouth then rolled off her.

She snuggled up against him, laying her head on his chest. Her eyes fluttered close and her breathing slowed as she descended into sleep.

He played with her hair, reveling in such feelings of contentment he'd never experienced. "Rey, I think I've always loved you. It just took me a while to understand that."

She smiled in her sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 - Rey

Rey walked into the dining room behind Ben, her hand entangled with his. A wide smile split her face. Every time she tried to suppress it, her thoughts would drift back to her most recent activity with Ben and the smile re-emerged.

It didn't help that he sported a matching grin that got bigger whenever he looked at her.

How she loved his smile! He had been without it for so long, the entire length of their tumultuous relationship. Well, until the end of their fight on Exegol when she kissed him. Now to see him wearing it so readily made her heart melt.

"I'm so glad you feel well enough to join us, Ben," Padme remarked as she walked out of the kitchen carrying a platter of food.

"Me too." Ben turned his handsome smile on Padme.

She pointed to their seats and Rey noticed three other places set instead of just one. "I hope don't mind that Master Kenobi and Anakin are joining us."

Rey gave her a knowing look. "Of course not." She found Obi-Wan's presence soothing, although Anakin often times seemed arrogant and quick to judge. Rey had wondered what Padme saw in him, but she had to catch herself. Rey had no ground to stand on. She couldn't even imagine how her friends in the Resistance would have reacted to her falling for the notorious Kylo Ren, which was the only way they would have seen him. They never would have accepted him even as Ben Solo.

Anakin emerged from the kitchen with a bowl of some kind of orange food. As he walked by Padme, her snuck a little kiss on her cheek before stepping away from her quickly.

“Shouldn’t we be making C-3PO do this heavy lifting?” Anakin joked as he pretended the bowl of food in his hands weighed a lot more than it did in reality. Then he frowned. “Where is 3PO anyway? I haven’t seen him.”

Rey looked up sharply. C-3PO? Here? She had no idea his history went back this far. Even Ben tilted his head hearing the droid’s name.

Padme glanced back through the kitchen doorway, presumably making sure Obi-Wan remained out of ear shot. In a whisper, she said, “He found out about the baby and would not stop bringing up every culture’s different birthing rituals. I couldn’t stand it anymore! I sent him on a mission to Naboo only he could do. He seemed happy to be helping and-,” Padme shut her mouth quickly as Obi-Wan walked out carrying a basket of delicious-smelling dinner rolls.

Rey wished she could tell Padme that Obi-Wan already knew her secret.

Padme sat at the head of the table with Anakin and Obi-Wan on one side and Ben and Rey on the other. "I'm so excited to have all my favorite people joining me for a meal!"

They all agreed then dug into the food. Rey ate with her usual gusto, enjoying Padme's cooking. She noticed Anakin measuring Ben up. Anakin had been on some kind of special assignment so hadn't been around that much since Ben woke up. Rey glanced at Ben and realized he also had noticed Anakin scrutinizing him.

Anakin took a drink then cleared his throat. "So, Ben, what were you and Rey doing before coming to Coruscant?"

Ben glanced at Obi-Wan as he finished chewing a bite.

Obi-Wan gave Ben an almost imperceptible shake of his head.

Ben swallowed. "Ah, Rey and I...owned a cargo ship. Fastest ship you'd ever see. Called it the Millennium Falcon."

Rey choked on her food, caught off guard by Ben's use of his father's story.

Ben raised an eyebrow at her, the slightest smirk on his lips.

"Are you alright?" Padme asked, starting to stand up.

Rey nodded, waving for her to stay seated as she got her coughing under control. They probably should have gotten their story straight when Ben had first woken up. Too late now.

"So what happened to your ship?" Anakin asked. A trace of disbelief rang in his voice.

Ben didn't hesitate. "Lost to space pirates."

"Or did you lose it in a card game?" Rey poked him, deciding to play along.

He gasped in exaggerated outrage. "I would never!"

Padme and Rey laughed together.

Changing the subject as they all resumed eating, Ben asked, "Is there any kind of training facility around? I desperately need to get back into condition after lying around for so long."

"Actually, I could get you into the Jedi Temple. Nobody would be in the training rooms after the Padawans go to bed," Obi-Wan offered.

"Master!" Anakin looked at the other Jedi with incredulity. "You can't let strangers into the Temple like that!"

"Oh, Anakin, I'll be with them the whole time. You can come with me as backup if you'd like."

Anakin huffed. "I...have other obligations."

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow brow at his apprentice but said nothing.

Rey wondered if this obligation was to Padme or her grandfather. She hoped the former.

A few hours later, Obi-Wan came for them. He had a slightly aggravated air about him and Rey suspected he'd learned that Anakin had been with Darth Sidious. She dared not bring it up.

He used a personal transport to take them to the Temple. It amazed her how much traffic clogged the airways even at such a late hour. On Jakku, all activity died after dark. Then he vouched for them with the sentinel guarding the Temple and led them through a maze of hallways to one of the training rooms.

Ben gazed around at wonder at everything they passed. He leaned close to Rey and whispered in her ear. "I came here once with Luke. The place was in ruins, a depressing shell. It's wondrous to see it at the height of its glory."

Obi-Wan triggered the door open and they walked into a gigantic training room. Mats covered the floor, various weapons lined one wall and a darkened observation deck lined with chairs sat high above them. Obi-Wan shrugged off his robe then threw them each a staff before he took one for himself.

Rey grinned. This had been her weapon of choice for so long.

Ben looked skeptical. "Lightsabers?"

"Let's start with something a little tamer first. I'd like to see your ability levels. Rey first." Obi-Wan shifted into a ready pose, staff up. "Attack."

Rey spun her staff and lashed out at him. Their staffs collided several times, the sharp sounds of wood clashing echoing through the room. Rey almost smacked him in the head, but Obi-Wan ducked just in time.

Despite them seeming to be evenly matched, Rey admitted to herself she'd been holding back. She really liked Obi-Wan and worried about hurting him.

As if reading her mind, Ben gave her away. "Stop holding back, Rey."

Rey glared at him, but he only smirked back at her as he leaned against the wall.

"Are you holding back, Rey?" Obi-Wan asked.

She shrugged. "A little."

Ben snorted. "Who do you think gave me this?" He pointed to the scar running down his face.

Obi-Wan looked back at Rey with surprise on his face.

"We were enemies at the time and he was trying to kill me."

"Actually, I was trying to turn you. You were trying to kill me."

Obi-Wan frowned. "I feel like I'm missing a significant part of this story."

Ben pushed off the wall. "Let's just say that for a portion of my life, I tried very hard to emulate my grandfather. That time has passed." He propped the staff up on the wall. Then using the Force, he pulled one of the practice lightsabers off the wall. It flew into his hand. "Let Rey and I show you what we can really do."

Obi-Wan pursed his lips, but then nodded.

Rey laid down her staff and called another lightsaber into her hand. As she caught it, the strangest sensation gripped her. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She looked up at the dark observation deck. "Is somebody watching us?"

"There shouldn't be anyone in this part of the building at this time of night," Obi-Wan assured her.

She brushed off the feeling and concentrated on Ben. Together they ignited their lightsabers, both blue and shorter than they were used to. Grinning, they slowly circled each other.

"Things didn't go so well for you the last time we fought, Solo."

"You mean when you impaled me with my own lightsaber on the remains of the Deathstar?"

"Deathstar?" Obi-Wan muttered.

Ben ignored him, focused solely on Rey. "In my defense, I was distracted when my mother called out to me with her dying breath."

Rey's mouth gaped open as her heart dropped into her stomach. Had that been why he'd dropped his lightsaber? "Leia called out to you? I felt her die but I didn't realize..."

Ben sighed. "I shouldn't have brought it up. You healed me, brought me back. That's what matters. Now, let's have some fun." His dazzling smile returned and he motioned her to come at him.

She couldn't stop herself from smiling back at him. Then she lunged forward directly at him. He raised his lightsaber at the ready, but before they collided, she flipped over him. As she moved through the air, she knocked his lightsaber from his hand. It automatically extinguished. She landed behind him and the lightsaber skidded to a stop at her feet. Rey bent over and picked it up.

"Impressive!" Obi-Wan complimented.

"Obviously, I'm still recovering," Ben said in a defensive tone. "What is with you and flipping over things?"

"Still sore about that ship I destroyed?" she goaded him.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "It was custom built," he grumbled.

"I think you owe me something for besting you. Take off your shirt," Rey demanded.

"Really?" Obi-Wan asked with exasperation.

"Be calm, Master Jedi," Rey directed. "This is just an informal training session. We're just having a little fun."

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes but said nothing more.

Rey turned back to Ben expectantly.

Ben chuckled, a twinkle in his eye. Then he pulled his shirt over his head.

Rey couldn't get enough of looking at his muscular body.

Suddenly, his hand whipped up and his lightsaber ripped out of her grip. She let it go and he ignited it the moment his hand closed around it. Then he swung at her. They clashed several times.

At one point, the sensation of being watched overcame her again. She looked sharply up at the observation deck, convinced someone must have been spying on them.  
Before she could say anything, Ben used her distraction against her. She blocked one of his attacks, but he grabbed the front of her shirt and yanked her into his space. His lips found hers, lingering a beat longer than they should have.

She shoved him away, attempting to suppress a smile. "You stole that kiss," she admonished him.

He smiled broadly. "Come steal it back."

She attacked. Their lightsabers clashed as they dueled. He lunged at her, she slashed at him, he parried, she Force pushed him back. They danced around each other, almost like it had been choreographed. Rey noticed Obi-Wan watching in fascination, but then her full attention was pulled back to Ben

As they fought, the casual training session shifted into something more serious. They pushed each other to the limits. Rey felt the air surrounding them charging with electricity, raising goosebumps along her flesh. They kept fighting, breathing hard, mesmerized by each other.

Weapons and equipment rattled on the walls, the clatter getting louder. Out of the corner of her eyes, Rey saw Obi-Wan stand up with a bewildered look on his face.  
Finally, their lightsabers clashed together over their heads one last time. They strained against each other, bodies so close but not touching. Their heated breaths mingled between them. The electricity manifested into tiny bursts surrounding them.

Then their eyes locked.

An immense urge to kiss him overcame her. The logical part of her fought to understand what was happening. So much power flowed around and through them. Something- the Force?- demanded a physical connection. Rey saw the want as well as the battle in Ben's eyes. She couldn't resist him.

Their lips crashed together as the lightsabers were dropped, forgotten. Power thrummed around the room as the two halves of their soul merged in that moment. Every weapon that had been clattering against the wall suddenly broke free and whirled like a cyclone around them.

"Rey! Ben!" screamed Obi-Wan above the wind, but they ignored him.

All that mattered was them.

"DYAD!" shouted an extremely powerful voice. It cut through the fog of power surrounding them.

Rey and Ben broke apart. As if the airlock on a starship had been opened, all the excess energy in the room was sucked out. The weapons circling them fell to the floor.

They all peered up at the commanding presence standing on the edge of the evaluation platform. Rey had never seen a being such as this before. Short of stature with green skin and pointed ears, wispy white hair patchy on his head. He leaned on a walking stick, although Rey got the impression he didn't really need it. Yet, his scrutinizing eyes examined them with fierce intelligence.

"Master Yoda!" exclaimed Obi-Wan.

Ah, so that's who this was, Rey thought.

Yoda leapt off the platform, somersaulted through the air and landed in front of them. "A Force Dyad not seen for generations have I!" he spoke in a raspy voice. "Who are you?"

Obi-Wan stepped forward. "Master, they are travelers, here under extraordinary circumstances. I was wrong to bring them here. I should have-"

Yoda silenced him with a wave of his walking stick. He turned to Rey and Ben. "Who are you?" he repeated.

Swallowing, Rey stepped forward. She bowed deeply, hoping this would convey respect. "Great Master Yoda, my name is Rey." She gestured to Ben behind her, who watched the green Jedi Master with intense eyes. "This is Ben Solo. Before I answer your questions, may I ask what that was? Ben and I have fought before and never have we experienced such power from it."

"A nexus of Force energy this Temple is. Amplifies the bond of a Force Dyad it does."

Rey nodded. It made sense. She also realized that having such a legendary Jedi such as Yoda on their side to change the course of history could be beneficial. She also found a need inside to learn more about what it meant to be part of a Dyad. So few had knowledge of it, but he did. Yet, she knew she had to give information to get it. "Shall I tell you our story?"

Yoda narrowed his eyes at her. In a few quick steps she wouldn't have thought him capable of if she hadn't seen him somersaulting through the air, he stood beside her. He looked up at her. "A request may I make?"

Rey tilted her head. "What?"

"Your memories."

Without seeing him behind her, Rey sensed Ben step closer. "Rey." She heard both pleading and a warning in his voice.

She reached back and took his hand, squeezing it gently to reassure him. Then she looked back to Yoda. Something about this little, green Jedi made her want to trust him. "I will give them to you freely in exchange for a promise."

Yoda pursued his lips. He glanced at Obi-Wan, who looked like he was sweating bullets. Then he asked, "What must I promise?"

"As of this time and place, Ben has not committed any crimes. He must not be punished for what may or may not happen in this future." She turned to Ben, pulling his hand that she still clutched up to her lips. "He has redeemed himself."

Yoda nodded. "Agreed."

Rey let go of Ben's hand and dropped down to her knees in front of Yoda. His small, green hand positioned itself at her temple, but did not touch her. She closed her eyes and opened her mind fully, dispersing any barrier she had forged. This time she hid nothing, unlike when she told Obi-Wan their story.

When Kylo Ren had probed her mind, she'd fought him every step of the way, threw up any barrier she could. It had made her head ache from the torment. Fully submitting made it so much easier.

The way Yoda examined her memories was like watching her life story at super speed backwards. The time she'd spent on Coruscant flashed by in a split second. Their battle with the Emperor, her conversation with Luke's Force ghost, Ben and her fighting atop the Death Star remains. On and on, back and back to the memory of being abandoned on Jakku and screaming for her parents to come back as their shuttle ascended off the planet.

Finally, it ended. She felt her mind being released from his control. It took several seconds for her to return completely to the present. When she opened her eyes, a wave of dizziness knocked into her. She fell backwards.

Ben caught her and gently lowered her to the ground. He held her in his arms until the room stopped spinning around her and she could see straight again.

Master Yoda sat in front of her, frozen in place. His eyes were closed and his hands clutched around his walking stick in front of him. They watched him for several minutes in silence until he spoke. "Now that they are extinct, the Jedi are romanticized, deified. But if you strip away the myth and look at their deeds, the legacy of the Jedi is failure, hypocrisy, hubris. At the height of their powers, they allowed Darth Sidious to rise, create the Empire and wipe them out. It was a Jedi master who's responsible for the training and creation of Darth Vader."

Obi-Wan's head whipped back as if he'd been struck. "Master, how can you say such a thing?"

Rey answered instead, recognizing the words. "He didn't say that. He's repeating what Luke said to me when I begged him to train me."

"What?" Ben jerked behind her. "Luke Skywalker said that?"

"He was bitter and angry when I found him on that island. But when I went back, after our fight on the Death Star, he'd... died. His Force ghost convinced me that even though I was a Palpatine, I was still worthy to be a Jedi. I think he'd had a change of heart."

"Yet, true his words are. Even if Palpatine is defeated, still needed change for the Jedi to survive." Yoda expressed.

Obi-Wan bowed his head. "What do you suggest, Master?"

"Idea I have."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 - Ben

Ben twirled the wooden stick around in his hands then used the Force to propel it directly into the target in front of him. It struck exactly in the center, right where a man's heart nestled in his chest. The strength of it had the sunk the stick more than halfway through the target.

Ben smiled at the accomplishment. He'd been working hard training to get himself back into shape and had been most appreciative when Padme had given him access to the gym in her building. He believed he was most of the way back to full strength. His leg only ached rarely now and his headaches had drastically lessened.

Their fateful encounter with Master Yoda a few days ago had sent Yoda and Obi-Wan on an important mission related to the new goal of saving the Jedi. He and Rey had been told to sit tight and keep an eye on Anakin. Ben dismayed at how highly Anakin spoke of High Chancellor Palpatine.

Ben's mind veered away from that inevitable conflict and to something much more pleasant, his activities with Rey the night before. The quest to find every single way to bring pleasure to her had become his obsession. Her cries of ecstasy were the most glorious sounds he'd ever heard. He had a new idea he hoped to try tonight after she got home from shopping with Padme. Or they could just snuggle and watch the holo. He liked that too.

"Nice shot."

Ben turned around at the voice in the doorway.

Anakin stood there dressed in training clothes. "Want to go for a run?"

This was new. Anakin had always been fairly suspicious of him, which made sense to Ben. This offer seemed a lot like an olive branch. Ben shrugged then nodded. "Yeah."

They took off out of the building and ran along the walkways high above the rest of the city. Ben loved looking down into the depths far below. It made him feel like he was on top of everything. They dodged around other people as it became like a race. Ben enjoyed seeing the normally stoic younger man - his grandfather, he reminded himself - laugh when Ben got stuck behind a hovering baby carriage. When he caught up, the two of them elbowed each other playfully before taking off at full speed down a causeway. At the end, they both panted and leaned wearily against the side of a building. Things like this made Ben grateful nobody knew him here, that he was free of anyone's expectations.

Between breaths, Anakin asked, "Want to grab some food? There's a good cafe down the block."

"Lead the way," Ben answered and followed behind him.

The cafe sat down a side street and had tables with big yellow and green umbrellas lined in front. Not too many people ate there. They took one of the tables at the end. Once they ordered their food, they talked about random topics, like the weather and speculating about what the women were doing on their shopping trip.

After the food arrived, Anakin said, "I can't believe this whole situation with the damned Trade Federation and now the Separatists threatening to leave the Republic!"

Ben had been contemplating how a conversation like this would go with Anakin. Now was as good a time as any to figure out how he ended up in the mask under the thumb of the Emperor. "I think all of this has been orchestrated as a way to bring down the Republic."

"Orchestrated?" Anakin eyed him skeptically. "By the Trade Federation?"

"Nah, they're just pawns in this." Ben took a bite, swallowed, then said, "I think a Sith Lord is behind this."

Anakin's eyes almost popped out of his head. "Sith! There are no more Sith. My Master destroyed Darth Maul and Count Dooku...died."

Ben caught the hesitation, knowing it to be significant. "There are always Sith. Usually at least two, a Lord and an apprentice."

"So Maul was the apprentice and Dooku the Lord."

"Are you so sure they weren't both apprentices? Sith Lords are extremely difficult to kill. They often hide in plain sight. You've probably already met him."

Anakin narrowed his eyes at Ben. "How do you know all this? You aren't even a Jedi."

"Can I tell you a secret?"

Anakin nodded.

Ben glanced around in case Anakin made a scene. Only one other table at the end of the row had people seated at it. Ben leaned in closer to Anakin. "I used to be a Sith."

Anakin leapt to his feet and pulled out his lightsaber, although he didn't ignite it. His clenched jaw bulged.

Ben leaned back in his chair, staying nonchalant. "I said 'was'. I'm not anymore."

"How do you stop being a Sith?" Anakin growled.

"You make a choice." Ben pointed at Anakin's seat. "Sit back down."

Anakin stared at him for a few moments longer. Then his jaw relaxed and he reclipped his lightsaber to his belt. He slid back into his seat but sat on the edge. "Why did you stop being a Sith?"

"Rey. She brought me out of the darkness and back into the light."

Looking at the table, Anakin asked, "How can you know if there's a Sith Lord in your midst?"

"Usually they'll be in a position of power but seem benign. Yet, they'll be manipulating everything around them. If he's lost two apprentices, he'll be looking for his next one. It'll be someone Force-sensitive and he'll take special interest in that person." Ben leaned in closer again. "He'll exploit that person's deepest fears and insecurities. At some point, he'll ask that person to kill for him."

Anakin continued staring at the table, but he'd gone very still.

Ben continued. "The murder will seem reasonable on the surface. Some bad guy who's done bad things, although most likely they've also been manipulated into that position. But it won't feel right. That person who kills will know inside it was the wrong choice."

A shudder involuntarily shook Anakin's body.

"I see he's already asked you to kill for him."

Anakin's eyes crept up to Ben's. His mouth pressed in a thin line. His head nodded by just a fraction.

"What is he using to manipulate you? What is your deepest fear, Anakin?" Ben pressed.

Swallowing, Anakin's voice cracked. "Padme. I had a premonition she dies in childbirth. He implied he could save her."

"He can't," Ben stated firmly. "Not once she's gone. But I'd bet he's manipulating things to ensure your premonition comes true. It would be the best way to control you."

Fire flashed in Anakin's eyes. He bolted up and threw some credits on the table. "Come with me," he commanded.

Ben scrambled to his feet. "Where are we going?"

"Just follow me."

Ben complied, following Anakin as he led Ben down several streets. Ben tried asking him a few more times where they were going, but Anakin remained silent. When they arrived at the hugely impressive structure that housed the Senate, Ben understood. Padme had mentioned off-handedly that she needed to pick up some things at the office. Anakin would want to see her after such a thought of her dying in childbirth.

They breezed past the Jedi Sentinel guarding the elevator, who nodded to Anakin in recognition. After riding for a minute, they stepped off and strode down the hall.

"Are you sure Padme and Rey are done with their shopping?" Ben asked.

"I'm not here for Padme." His voice was edged with steel.

A sinking feeling gripped Ben's insides. "Why are we here, Anakin?"

Anakin marched on, an intense look on his face. They rounded a corner and came to an anteroom with a desk in front of a set of grand doors on the far wall.

A bald, slim woman sat at the desk. She rose as they approached, a mild expression on her face.

"Is he here?" Anakin demanded.

The grand doors swung open at his question and High Chancellor Palpatine stood before them. He looked just as Rey described him when she'd told Ben of her unexpected meeting with him. He dressed in finely-crafted robes but they were a subdued color of muted browns. He smiled kindly at Anakin but Ben saw a hard glint in his eyes.

"Anakin! A delight to see you, as always. But you look upset, my boy. Why don't you and your friend come into my office and we'll talk?" Palpatine turned and walked through the doors again.

Ben tried to hold Anakin back. He spoke in a desperate whisper. "Anakin, don't do this. He could kill us and I need him alive right now."

Anakin said nothing, his eyes glued on Palpatine's doors. He pushed past Ben and stomped into the office.

Fear washed over Ben. Fear for Rey.

He followed Anakin, sparing a quick glance at the bald woman. Her expression remained neutral. She closed the doors behind him.

Palpatine stood in front of his large desk, leaning against it in a casual manner.

Meanwhile, Anakin breathed hard and paced back and forth. "You’ve been manipulating me for years! Controlling me with the threat of Padme's death! You forced me into killing Dooku!" Anakin raged at him.

Palpatine gasped. "That's not true! Dooku was holding me hostage! You were just defending me!"

Anakin shook his head in denial.

Ben grabbed Anakin's arm. "Stop! Just stop this! I'm begging you not to kill him."

Anakin wrenched his arm away. "He's the Sith Lord! Everything you said was right!"

Palaptine laughed. The malevolent sound filled the room and his voice twisted. "Kill me?" More laughter. Then his eyes focused on Ben. "And who are you to know of me?" he roared.

All of the anger that had been building up in Anakin finally erupted. He pulled free his lightsaber and ignited it. Then he lunged at Palpatine.

Out of nowhere, an ignited red lightsaber appeared in Palpatine's hand. He parried Anakin and the two clashed lightsabers together several times.

Ben had no idea what to do as he watched them battle. Did he defend Anakin, his grandfather, who'd he'd only just seemed to have developed a tentative relationship with? Or did he defend Palpatine, a proxy to defending Rey? Ben had no weapon, although he had learned over the years that he himself could be a weapon.

Before Palpatine and Anakin could come together for the next blow, Ben used the Force to put a shield between them.

Anakin fought against it, growing more infuriated at being unable to strike his foe. 

Palpatine stopped fighting. Instead, he turned to Ben with the smallest smile on his face. "You're powerful with the Force! Who are you?" he repeated.

Ben gritted his teeth with the effort to keep the shield up. He had no intention of answering the Sith's question. He only wanted to leave this place with everyone, including the woman he loved, still alive.

Then with a gentle wave of his hand, Palpatine dissolved his shield.  
Ben almost lost his balance as it pushed him a few steps backwards, but he quickly recovered.

Anakin and Palpatine collided again in a frenzy of noise emitting from their clashing lightsabers. Then, in a movement of pure skill Ben had to admire, Anakin pivoted inside of Palpatine's swing and slammed the Sith Lord's lightsaber away from his hand. It extinguished as it flew through the air and bounced off the far wall.

With a growl of frustration, Palpatine unleashed his ultimate weapon on Anakin. Blue lightning spewed forth from his hands and right into Anakin. 

Being so close to him, Anakin had no recourse to defend himself from such an intangible threat. His lightsaber dropped out of his hand, extinguishing, as Anakin's body fell to the floor and convulsed.

Palpatine cackled over him. "You think you could kill me, boy?" He shot more lightning through him.

Indecision froze Ben in place for a millisecond. But then he couldn't stand it. He'd seen Snoke kill one of the other Knights of Ren with the blue lightning for disobeying. Ben would never forget staring down at the black husk and smelling the charred flesh that had been left of that man afterwards. He couldn't bear that happening to Anakin. He drew upon the strength inside him and aimed at Palpatine.

The Sith Lord screamed as his body tumbled across the room and slammed hard into the opposite wall. His lightning hit the ceiling, leaving scorch marks, then disappeared. Palpatine attempted to sit up but panted with exertion as he slumped in the corner.

Anakin groaned on the floor but didn't move otherwise. Tendrils of smoke curled off his clothing and black soot streaked across his pale skin.

"Stop this!" Ben ordered them.

Without warning, every one of Ben's muscles froze. It was just like on Exegol. He gasped for breath and panic swelled inside him as his feet left the ground. His lungs demanded air but his body couldn't respond. The full might of a Sith Lord had been unleashed on him. It wasn't the first time, but by far the most crucial.

Palpatine rose off the ground with no effort. A look of delight graced his features as he held Ben in place. "And to think I've been wasting my time with Anakin. You are amazing. Who are you?"

Ben fought against him, but only succeeded enough to draw breath. At least that cleared his vision from the blackness impeding on the edges of his vision.

Palpatine eyebrows rose at Ben’s ability to breathe again. Then Palpatine pushed him backwards until he hit a wall. Palpatine advanced on him. "Give me everything."

The irony of the same words spoken to him as Snoke had spoken to Rey before he mind-raped her was not lost on Ben. As Palpatine's hand neared his temple, he threw up every barrier inside his mind he could. Yet, he knew they weren't as strong as what they had been before his injury. Palpatine cut through them like they were wisps of gossamer. He struggled, but it was useless as pain blossomed inside his skull. It equaled, even surpassed the pain from their last encounter, as Palpatine scrutinized his memories.

"Oh! Oh!" Palpatine’s words expressed his pleasure. "I never would have imagined something like this could be possible. Give me more!"

Utter agony swelled inside his head as Palpatine delved deeper. He heard a whimpering noise and wondered where it came from.

Damn, it's from me, he realized.

Palpatine laughed. "Does Anakin know who you are to him? I think not. Now show me why you refused to let Anakin kill me."

The image of Rey appeared in his mind. She stood in the sunlight, glowing, a smile on her face. So beautiful.

"Her!" he mused with surprise. "The one with Padme who acted so suspiciously? My spies could find nothing on her. She's mine? Or she will be."

No! Ben mentally screamed at him.

Palpatine just laughed.

The blue glow that reflected off Palpatine's balding head didn't register to Ben until it was too late. Part of him knew it would lead to disaster, but the other part of him longed for an ending to his suffering. 

It came as a flood of relief as Palpatine realized the danger he was in and released his hold on Ben. Everything seemed to move in slow motion, but it all happened in a split second. Even as Ben crumbled to the floor, the lightsaber continued its downward descent. He watched in fascinated horror as the lightsaber smoothly sliced through Palpatine's brain, splitting his face and down, down, down.

Before the light completely faded from his eyes, Ben saw them narrow in combination of indignant anger and shock. Then the body split and fell apart, two separate lumps of dead, charred flesh on the floor next to him.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13 - Ben

Ben stared at the ruined flesh that had once been the High Chancellor, the Dark Lord. He got to his knees, his entire body trembling. Anguish filled his heart at the implications of Palpatine's death. Rey had said it would be painless, that he'd forget her. She'd been wrong. The pain of losing her far outweighed anything Palpatine could have done to him. He would greatly suffer an eternity under Palpatine's torture than bear this kind of loss.

The rage welled up inside of him right along side the agony. Her name burst from his lips in a primal scream. "Rey!"

Anakin walked over to him, offering a hand up.

Ben glared at him, ignoring the hand. "I told you I needed him alive." Ben could hear the dangerous edge in his voice. His jaw clenched. "I begged you not to kill him. And now she's gone!" Ben climbed to his feet, tears flowing down his face.

"What are you talking about? He was a Sith Lord. Too dangerous to live." Anakin stepped back from him.

"I should do the galaxy a favor and kill you. You've already conceived my mother. I don't need you anymore." Ben reached out and Force pulled Palpatine's discarded lightsaber into his fist. He ignited it.

Anakin took another step back, igniting his own lightsaber. "What is wrong with you?"

"You stole her from me!" Ben raised the lightsaber towards Anakin.

Anakin raised his lightsaber in defense against him.

"Ben!"

Her voice filled his ears. He turned and there she stood. She wore a flowing sundress he’d never seen before, her arms and neck bare. Her silky brown hair was held back in a tight bun, but a few escaped wisps framed her lovely face. He drank her in like a man dying of thirst. "Rey," he breathed out in wonder.

"There's nobody there, Ben."

Of course Anakin couldn't see her. Ben refused to acknowledge him, his only focus on Rey. Stumbling to her, he dropped back down to his knees in front of her. "Rey, you're still with me?" His voice cracked as he asked.

"Yes."

Ben wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed the side of his face into her abdomen. Rey embraced his head, her fingers tangling in his hair.

Anakin gasped behind him. "Rey? How did you get in here?"

Ben looked up at her, only her. Her eyes found Anakin, confusion clearly written in them. Obviously, they could see each other when she and Ben touched. It made sense considering Luke could see him when he and Rey had first touched through their bond.

"I'm not really here, Anakin. Ben and I are bonded. I could sense his distress through the Force." Rey looked back down at him, studying his tear-streaked face. "What happened?"

"Anakin killed Palpatine. I thought I'd lost you."

Rey leaned down and kissed his forehead. "I'm still here. I don't know how, but I'm still here."

Ben squeezed her tighter.

"Actually, I'm at the hospital. Padme's in labor."

Both men looked at her sharply.

Ben glanced at Anakin and saw he'd gone white.

"She's doing fine!" Rey reassured them. "Captain Typho’s been trying to get a hold of you two. Now I know why he couldn't. Get down here as soon as you can." With that, she disappeared.

Ben slumped back, sitting on his feet. He knew she hadn't really been there, but her image leaving made him feel cold. He looked at Anakin. "Are you okay?"

Anakin shook his head. His voice came out in a whisper. "What if I've done all of this and she still dies? I think I'd go insane if she died." He paused. "What about you? You still want to kill me?"

"Nah, Rey's okay so we're okay."

Nodding, Anakin leapt to his feet. "I need to see her."

"Wait! What do we do about him?" Ben gestured to the pieces of Palpatine.

Frowning, Anakin scanned the room. "Here! We'll stick him in the refresher for now. Once I know Padme's alright, I'll contact the Jedi Order about it. Once they learn he was a Sith Lord, they'll understand."

They each dragged half of the body into the refresher, then Ben jury-rigged the door not to open. On the way out, they told his bald assistant that the High Chancellor didn't want to be disturbed for any reason. Then they rushed to the hospital.

"We're looking for Padme Amadala," Ben asked the receptionist as they entered.

The woman with long blue hair, blue-tipped teeth and sparkling blue eyes scrutinized her screen. "Here, she's up in maternity. Are either of you the father?"

Anakin opened his mouth but then quickly closed it. His hands ran down the front of his clothes that marked him as a Jedi. "No, we're both just friends of hers."

A sympathetic expression clouded her pretty features. "I'm sorry. Other than the father, only one other person is allowed in there with her. It looks like her sister is currently with her. I'll send word up that you’re here."

Ben smiled a little thinking about how Rey and Padme decided to create a ruse of being sisters.

"You can wait right over there." She pointed to a small, empty waiting room at the end of the hall. As they turned to head in that direction, she called out to them. "Hey, I know you, don't I?"

Ben looked at Anakin, assuming she meant him. But he just eyed Ben. Ben looked back at the woman and realized with a start that she was talking to him. "I don't think so. I'm not from around here."

Her full lips pursed. "No, I'm sure I've seen you before." Then her whole expression brightened. "You're the guy who was in the coma! The one who'd been thrown off the building! Your leg was really messed up. How are you walking around like nothing happened?"

Ben's memories of when he'd been unconscious were hazy and disjointed. "I'm a fast healer."

The receptionist grinned at him, her eyes roving over his body. "That's amazing. I'm glad to see you so much more...vibrant."

The conversation he'd overheard of women admiring his endowments flashed through his head. An embarrassing blush heated his face. "Umm, thanks." He quickly walked away from her.

Anakin smirked at him as they walked to the waiting room. They took seats, but Anakin fidgeted a lot until he finally got up to pace along the far wall in silence.

Ben lost himself in random thoughts about this whole crazy situation. It took him a moment to realize that Anakin had stopped in front of him. Ben cringed as Anakin frowned down at him.

"What did you mean when you said that I'd already conceived your mother and you didn't need me anymore?"

Shit

Damn his big mouth! Ben cursed himself as he struggled for words. "I...umm...I shouldn't have said that. It was wrong of me. I was just angry and frightened for Rey. I-"

"Why?" Anakin interrupted him. "Why would killing Palpatine have, in any way, endangered Rey?"

Ben looked up at the ceiling in resignation. Anakin was putting all the pieces in place and Ben had no idea what to do about it. "I can't give you the answers you need, Anakin. All I can say is that your children are being born right now and you need to focus on that."

"Children? More than one?" Anakin's eyes widened in shock.

Before Ben could react to yet another unintended slip, Rey's voice echoed down the hall. Her appearance at just the right time saved him again, last time from killing his own grandfather and this time from his stupid mouth.

"Ben! Anakin!"

Ben leapt off his chair and ran to her. He swept her up in his arms and held her tight. Having thought he'd lost her, he never wanted to let go. Needing to see her face, he pulled back and cradled her head in his hands. He kissed her on the lips, then pressed his forehead against hers. "Don't ever leave me."

"Never."

Anakin cleared his throat, now standing beside them.

Rey took a step back. She pulled Ben's hands off her but clutched one of them in her own hand. "She's been asking for you," Rey told Anakin.

"Is she alright?" Anakin asked tentatively, seeming to fear Rey's answer.

"Yes, Padme's doing great. She's only three centimeters dilated so she has a long way to go, but everything is normal."

Obvious relief flooded Anakin's features. He swallowed, then asked, "Is it twins?"

Rey looked taken aback. She glanced at Ben before answering. "Umm, yes. Yes, it is. They did scans when she first got here."

"But you both already knew that, didn't you?"

They just stared at him, not knowing what to say.

Anakin shook his head vigorously. "Never mind. I don't care right now. I just want to see my wife."


	14. Chapter 14

A/N- Warning! This chapter contains sexually explicit material!

Chapter 14 - Rey

Rey watched as Anakin followed the guide droid back to the elevator. The fact that he had surmised that she'd already known about the twins meant interesting things had occurred between him and Ben. Then again, them killing Palpatine and her not being wiped out of existence was also very interesting.

Ben looked at her with worried eyes. "I got angry. I said some things."

She squeezed the hand she still held in hers. "We'll figure this out. We should go home. Padme wasn't progressing very fast and there's something we need to do."

As they walked hand in hand down the hall, Rey's mind drifted back to just a few hours ago. Padme had insisted on taking Rey shopping for clothes, despite Rey's guilt over Padme spending more money on her. Rey promised so many times that she would get a job fixing droids and pay Padme back every credit. Padme had just laughed and admonished Rey that she wouldn't take any of it. Then she'd pulled out more clothes than Rey had ever seen for her to try on. Padme claimed she loved living vicariously through Rey since she couldn't wear anything fun anymore. Then her water broke and all hell broke loose.

"Hey, fast healer!"

Rey had been so lost in memory that she hadn't even realized the woman was talking to them until Ben paused. Rey turned around and saw the receptionist who'd checked Padme in when they'd arrived. The pretty blue-haired woman had acted bored when directing them towards the maternity ward, but now she looked very intent on them. She leaned over the counter, her tight shirt showing ample cleavage. Her focus specifically landed on Ben.

"You said you weren't from around here. I could show you around, let you get a good feel of the best places." She smiled, slow and seductive.

Jealousy crashed over Rey like a tidal wave. The feeling, one she rarely experienced, reeked of possessiveness and malevolence. How dare she come on to Ben with her standing right next to him! She spun around in the receptionist's direction, seething.

Ben grabbed her by the upper arms before she got too far. To the woman, he said, "I don't think so, no."

"If you change your mind, you know where to find me," she cooed and turned around.

Ben had to practically drag Rey away.

Right before crossing the threshold of the exit, Rey shot her finger behind her. The tiniest sizzle of blue lightning, barely noticeable, flew through the air. It struck the screen and exploded in a mass of sparks.

The blue-haired woman screamed, jumping out of the way.

Rey didn't get to see anymore as Ben manhandled her out the door. She expected him to be angry at her, but he didn't even try to hold his laughter in. Rey crossed her arms over her chest, still miffed about what had just happened. "Are you laughing at me?"

His laugh died down but his adorable smile stayed on his face as he shook his head. "If someone had hit on you like that in front of me, it would have been a lot worse for them." He took a deep breath, his face becoming serious. "You never have to worry about anything like that. When I was Supreme Leader, women- and some men- threw themselves at me in search of power. I didn't want any of them. Only you."

Rey's heart raced at his confession. "Because you're mine," she growled. She grabbed the front of his shirt and shoved him against the wall. Her lips crashed into his as she ravaged his mouth with her own.

He fiercely kissed her back.

"Oh, my!" exclaimed a medical droid as he walked out the door pushing a hoverchair with an elderly Twi'lek.

They broke apart only to burst into giggles when the patient and droid disappeared from sight.

Rey got herself under control after a minute and grabbed his hand again. "Come on."

Once they got back to Padme's apartment, which Rey had already started thinking of as home, they checked in with security. Captain Typho already stood guard outside Padme's door, not fully trusting the hospital's security to keep her condition secret. Rey asked his second-in-command for a report and he told them Padme hadn't progressed much further. It was a relief to Rey because what she had planned would take several hours. She outlined her needs to the security guard, who then enlisted Padme's assistant to help.

In the meantime, she and Ben closed the door in the private communications center and contacted Masters Obi-Wan and Yoda. The two had gone on a secret mission to Naboo to fully investigate Palpatine's private residence and learn all they could about his plot to turn the Senate into his own Empire. They had promised to only contact each other in an extreme emergency. As their image materialized on the screen, Rey frowned. Obi-Wan sported several abrasions and bruises on his face. Even Master Yoda looked disheveled.

"What happened? Are you two alright?" Rey asked with concern.

Obi-Wan sighed. "We ran into several Sith disciples at Palpatine's estate and were forced to eliminate all of them. We also found ample evidence to show that he has been manipulating both the Trade Federation and the Separatists in his quest to destroy the Republic. It will go a long way to having him removed from office and arrested."

Ben broke in. "Actually, Palpatine's already dead."

Both sets of eyes widened.

"Engaged him alone you did?" Yoda asked incredulously.

"Anakin engaged him and brought me along without me realizing what he was doing," Ben explained. "I never would have risked Rey like that."

"But you're still here, Rey," Obi-Wan pointed out.

"Yes. I don't know why though," Rey answered. "Did you find any evidence of my father there? A baby or a young child?" She didn’t really know how old her Dad had been, so thought it possible he had already been born.

Obi-Wan shook his head.

"Something interesting found we did that may explain your continued existence," Yoda remarked. "Bringing it back we are."

"We should be back by tomorrow." Obi-Wan moved to disconnect their communication.

"Wait!" Ben yelled. "You also need to know that Padme's in labor. I'm also sure that Anakin knows who we are." He grimaced. "I've said too much. Should we leave? Should we get out of history's way after causing so much damage?"

Rey spun on him. "What? No! We have nothing here. Where would we go, Ben? We're alone!"

"You're not alone," Obi-Wan assured them. "If you chose to leave, we can grant you resources to allow you to live comfortably. But I ask that you don't leave yet. Rey, you've become especially close with Padme. As a woman of high power, I doubt she's ever had the luxury of such friendship. Now, with her entire life in turmoil, both professionally and personally, she could use a good friend to lean on. Ben, I'm hopeful that your actions have prevented the existence of Darth Vader from ever manifesting, but I also think you are a good stabilizing force for Anakin. Do you think you would be able to tolerate watching your mother and uncle grow up in order to continue that support?"

Ben thought for a few moments then finally nodded.

"Good." The communication disconnected.

They looked at each other. "I don't want to leave," Rey told him.

"I know. We won't unless we have to." Ben took her hand in his and pressed his lips into her palm. Then he stood up and led her back to their bedroom.

Rey breathed deeply as he stood in front of her. Her skin warmed as he traced a finger along her arm and up to her shoulder. That possessiveness of him flared within her again, wanting to claim him as hers and hers alone. She reached out and grabbed at the hem of his shirt.

He captured her hands, drawing them away from him. Whispering in her ear, he said, "Don't make it about her. Make it about us. Just us." His lips found hers and kissed her ever so gently. The sensuous nature of such a kiss burned through her body, igniting her on fire.

His fingers on either side of her pulled the straps of the sundress she wore down. He ran the tip of his tongue along her shoulder, tasting her.

She reached up and tugged the dress further down until it fell away from her body and puddled on the floor at her feet. Only her panties covered her now.

He gazed upon her and the smoldering look of want in his eyes made her ache for him. He reached up and pulled his shirt off over his head, then kissed her again.

Her hands went to the tie at the waist of his pants. This time he allowed it. As his pants and underwear joined her dress on the floor, she grasped his hardening manhood.

He drew in a sharp breath that changed into a moan against her mouth as she stroked along the length of him. His hands curled around her shoulders and gently maneuvered her backwards until she hit the bed.

Instead of lying down on the bed, she climbed up. She wanted to be on top this time, something she hadn't had the guts to do before. She patted the bed next to her.  
He tilted his head and gave her a quizzical look, but followed her direction a moment later. He settled his large frame down on the bed beside her.

Without a word, she swung her leg over his hips and straddled him. Her heat pressed against his hardness and this time, the moan came from her own lips as she slid herself against him.

His hands grasped her thighs as his hips jerked against hers, seemingly involuntarily. "Rey," he breathed out. "You're torturing me."

Rey smirked, liking that. His torture was her pleasure. She moved herself along him again, savoring such friction.

Ben's fingers dug into her flesh as his jaw clenched. "I'm going to lose it, Rey," he ground out.

Taking pity on him, she gripped his shaft and lowered herself down on him. There was a difference in the pressure like this. She leaned forward slightly and felt him rub against just the right spot. "Oh," she moaned.

He smiled at her. "Good?"

"Umm, hmm." She bit her lower lip. Moving a little more, she experienced the same sensation. She definitely liked that! Her rhythm started slow, but gradually built-up in speed.

Ben's hips thrust up to meet her, matching her rhythm even as she accelerated faster and faster. His hands roved up her body and settled on her breasts. He cupped them and squeezed her flesh.

The tension coiled inside her as she rode him. She watched as his breathing grew ragged and his movements jerky as he achieved his release. It set off a cascade within her.

Her heart beat hard in her chest as she panted. Sweat ran down her neck. Intense pleasure radiated out from her core, spreading through every nerve-ending in her body. Her back arched of it own volition as she threw her head back and screamed. Sparkles colored her vision from the sheer power of her climax. She savored such a ferocious release.

Rey collapsed on top of him. Ben wrapped his arms around her. She buried her face in his neck. "Mine."

Ben just laughed.

A/N: Have I ever mentioned how much I love jealous Rey? She's more fun than jealous Ben because he turns into Kylo Ren and probably would kill people. Wrapping things up with only two more chapters left to this story!


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15 – Rey

Rey clawed her way back to consciousness at the insistent shaking of her shoulder. She opened her eyes, blinked away the blurriness and saw Anakin leaning over her. She sat up in the chair she'd fallen asleep in and was surprised to see sunlight streaming through the window.

She and Ben had spent the entire night building a nursery for the twins. When Ben had been in a coma and the hospital refused to allow her to stay with him overnight, Padme had given her a spare bedroom. Since Ben had been moved here, she spent every night with him. Therefore, it was the perfect room to transform.

Over the past few weeks, Padme had randomly mentioned things she'd wanted for the nursery depending on if the baby ended up being a girl or a boy. Taking all of her wishes into consideration, they'd constructed two sides, one for each child. Padme's assistant had found all the furniture Rey had asked for. She'd even brought chameleon paint, which allowed them to change the wall color at will. They had a lot of fun with that, trying to figure out each other's least favorite color. Apparently, Rey hated bright yellow and Ben couldn't stand hot pink.

Ben told her that Luke loved the forest, something he'd been denied growing up on Tatooine. His side they made forest green with a crib, dresser and changing table in dark wood. Ben also advised her that his mother's favorite color was lilac, information that wasn't important enough for Rey to learn when they'd been fighting together in the Resistance. They painted her side light purple with the same furniture in white. On both sides they put matching padded rocking chairs, perfect for nursing or to sooth a fussy baby. Also, comfortable enough for two exhausted time-travelers to fall asleep in.

As Rey's head cleared, Anakin shook Ben awake. He woke with a start, jumping out of the chair. "Padme?!"

Anakin smiled. "She's okay! It got rough at the end there. I thought she might have broken my hand." He flexed his fingers and Rey could see a purple bruise. "But they're all okay! The babies were born healthy. Luke and Leia."

His grin was infectious, spreading to both Rey and Ben. Then he pointed around the room. "You two did this?"

Rey bit her lip. "We weren't sure you were going to let us stay after... We wanted to give you something to thank you and Padme for all you've done for us. We appreciate it more than you can ever know, even if we have to leave."

"I don't want you to leave, and Padme definitely doesn't want you to leave. She doesn't know anything, including about Palpatine. I'm going to get kicked out of The Jedi Order for secretly marrying and fathering children, despite taking the worst of the threat away. So, no, I don't want you to leave. Ben, I think my premonition was averted because of you. Palpatine would have killed her." His voice held conviction.

Rey's heart grew light. What they believed happened originally had been far worse than Palpatine killing Padme. If their actions spared both Padme and Anakin, and therefore the entire galaxy, from such pain, it was worth it.

Anakin continued. "Padme sent me back here to find you and figure out what to do for the babies. But this." He pointed around the room. "This is incredible. More than I would have ever thought to do." His voice broke. "Thank you."

Rey embraced him and he hugged her back.

Anakin pulled away from her and looked at both of them. "I have an idea about who you are, but I don't really know. When you are ready to tell me, I'm ready to listen. In the meantime, do you want to see the babies?"

They both nodded enthusiastically.

As soon as they walked into the room, Padme cried out, "Rey! Can you believe it was twins?"

Rey smiled wide at her friend's enthusiasm. "I heard! A boy and a girl! Tell me their names." She’d known the names all along but wanted to hear Padme tell her.

"Luke and Leia. Luke after my grandfather." She peered at Ben, but said nothing specific about that. "Leia was an ancient warrior goddess on Naboo. I've always adored the name."

Rey silently agreed that being named after a warrior goddess was perfect for the Leia she’d known. One bassinet sat on either side of her bed. Rey peeked into the one closest to her. This baby wore a tiny little hat with an A written on it. "Beautiful."

Anakin crossed the room and picked up the tiny baby in the other bassinet. This one's tiny hat had a bow fashioned on the front of it with a B written on it. He cradled his daughter in his arms and looked down at her with such love on his face for a moment. Then he walked over to Ben. "Do you want to hold her?"

Ben bit his bottom lip and Rey could see tears forming in his eyes as he looked down at the baby. Probably not trusting his voice, he merely nodded. Anakin gently handed Leia over to Ben, who held her as if she were the most fragile thing in the galaxy. Rey wondered if this might have been the first time he'd ever held a baby.

Leia looked up at him and blinked. It almost seemed like she was fascinated by Ben's face.

Ben chuckled then whispered to her, "I know. This is weird, isn't it?"

Rey's heart clenched at the affection in his voice.

"My love, you would not believe the amazing nursery Rey and Ben have constructed for us at home. It's perfect."

"Really? You two did that for us?" Padme burst into tears. "I'm sorry! I think it's the hormones," she apologized around her sobs.

"It's the least we could do after everything you've done for us," Rey assured her.

Padme opened her arms and Rey fell into her hug.

A knock sounded at the door.

Padme released Rey and wiped the tears off her cheeks. "It must be Captain Typho. He's under strict orders not to allow anyone in without my permission. Come in!" she yelled out.

As expected, Captain Typho entered the room. "I'm so sorry to interrupt, Senator. We just received a comm from Master Obi-Wan. He's requested to meet with Rey and Ben back at the apartment."

"Thank you, Captain. I shall send them on."

Typho nodded and closed the door again.

Ben gently handed Leia back to Anakin. Anxiety clearly showed on Anakin's face. Ben lightly clasped the younger man's shoulder. "Don't worry. We're on your side."

Anakin looked at him and gave Ben a tight-lipped smile. "Thanks."

Rey and Ben rushed back to the apartment to find Masters Yoda and Obi-Wan in the dining room. They'd laid out numerous little devices across the dining room table.

"Welcome back, Masters," Rey greeted them.

"Glad to be back. Captain Typho said you were at the hospital with Padme and Anakin. How are the babies?" Obi-Wan asked.

"They're wonderful! Same with Padme. She didn't die!" Rey gushed.

Obi-Wan smiled widely.

Ben looked at Master Yoda. "Anakin is worried about getting kicked out of the Jedi Order. Obviously, he has cause to worry, but is that what's going to happen to him?"

Yoda sighed heavily. "Not talked with the Jedi Council yet have I, but from what I have seen," his gaze fell on Rey, "go extinct the Jedi will without change. Perhaps not like happened before, but soon. The first change this may be."

Ben nodded. He picked up one of the devices. The oblong cylinder, about the size of his thumb, appeared to be made of metal with a button on the bottom. Ben examined it closely, turning it upside down. Then his eyes widened and his mouth gaped open. He quickly put it back down on the table and stepped back.

Concerned by his reaction to the device, Rey asked Obi-Wan, "What are these?"

"Embryos."

"What?"

"Palpatine created clones of himself and put them in these stasis pods. We believe your father is one of these."

"My father was a clone?" The idea horrified her.

Ben's hand found her back, rubbing her shoulders. It soothed a little of the horror away.

"Just because someone is a clone doesn't mean they aren't individuals with different experiences, emotions and memories from the original. Your father turned away from Palpatine. He joined the Resistance, fell in love with your mother and made the ultimate sacrifice to save you. Despite his genetics, he was nothing like your grandfather." Obi-Wan assured her.

Rey peered over the length of the table. "There are almost thirty of them here. Which one is him?"

"Chose you must," Yoda stated.

Rey's mouth went dry. "How can I possibly know? What if I chose wrong?" The thought of her mistakenly wiping herself out of existence was actually less frightening than possibly setting loose another Dark Lord on the galaxy. Maybe even the one that almost murdered them on Exegol.

Obi-Wan took a step towards her. "Rey, close your eyes."

She looked at Ben, his hand still a reassuring presence on her back. Then she closed her eyes.

"Center yourself." He waited a beat. "Now think of your father. You were very young when he left you on Jakku, but you still have some memories with him. Bring them into your mind."

Rey search through her early memories. Her laughing with abandon as her father lifted her up in the air and flew her around like a rocket. Them sharing a piece of starfruit while sitting by a lake. His last words to her.

You'll be safe here. I promise.

Obi-Wan spoke again. "With those memories clear in your mind, reach out with the Force. Find him."

Without opening her eyes, Rey moved her hand over the little stasis pods. Most of them radiated cold darkness, which made her nauseous and want to draw her hand away, but she persevered. About a third of the way through, incredibly warm brightness radiated through her hand and up her arm. The image of her father hugging her, protecting her in his arms, filled her head. She snatched up the pod and held it tight in her hand. "This one."

Obi-Wan held out his hand.

Rey held it for a minute longer, savoring the feelings of love and warmth it produced, before handing it over.

"We're going to put him in a gestation chamber. That way there will be no questions about who will carry him. It will also speed up his development and he'll be born in just a few months," Obi-Wan explained.

"What will happen to all of the other ones?" Rey asked.

"Decide the Jedi Council will have to," Yoda answered.

Rey held her tongue but hoped they would all be destroyed.

The next few months flew by as significant events rocked the galaxy. So much evidence was found to prove that High Chancellor Sheev Palpatine had been the Dark Lord of the Sith that his memory among the masses was forever tainted. Both the Trade Federation and the Separatists admitted to following the directions of a shadowy figure making enticing promises to them. Anakin and Ben were fully acquitted in their role in Palpatine's death. Even more surprising was that the Jedi Council, led by Yoda's insistence for change, completely amended all of their policies on personal interactions. Padwans were now allowed to keep in contact with their families and Jedi could now marry and have children. So many debates and speculation flared up on why such changes had been made, but none of those tossing theories around could ever have imagined the truth.

At the end of a late dinner, with the babies sleeping soundly in their cribs, Padme raised up her glass. Ben, Rey and Anakin followed suit.

"Congratulations to the two newest Jedi accepted into the Order!"

Rey spoke up. "And to Padme and Anakin on the official recognition on your marriage!"

Ben chuckled, adding, "And to Anakin for not getting kicked out of the Jedi Order for daring to marry the woman he loved."

They all laughed, clicked their glasses together and drank deeply.

Padme swallowed then said excitedly, "I heard some fantastic news from Bail today! He and Breha have adopted a child. A newborn baby boy."

Rey stared at her in shock. She instinctively knew exactly what baby they had adopted. To think that her father would be raised by Leia's adoptive parents filled her with such emotion. She didn't even try to suppress her tears as they filled her eyes and slid down her cheeks.

Padme frowned. "What's wrong, Rey?"

"It's perfect," she sobbed. "He deserves it."

Ben took her hand and pressed his lips to it. "Is it time, my love?"

"It's long been time!" Anakin grumbled, but he had a snarky smile on his face.

Padme squinted at them all in confusion. "Time for what?"

Ben straighten. "Time to talk."

They told them everything.

A/N: Just one more chapter left! Thank you so much for all the wonderful comments. Each and every one is treasured!

Anyone here previously involved in The Walking Dead Caryl fanfic community? The Daryl/Carol ship is what brought me into the world of writing fanfic. Okay, I had written a smutty one-shot Harry Potter Tonks/Lupin story years earlier, but TWD is where I truly started crafting stories to be more than just sex scenes. OMG, I just heard that AMC is creating a spin-off series featuring Daryl and Carol!!! I don't know if that means our ship will finally become canon but this is amazing!


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16 - Rey

One year later

Rey peeked through the crack in the door on the second floor, watching more people entering the vast room below. "How do know so many people?"

"Not me. That's all Padme. She has to schmooze a lot of people as a Senator," Anakin said behind her. "You look absolutely beautiful, by the way. I wonder if Ben will pass out when he sees you. That would be embarrassing."

Rey huffed in amusement. "Stop." She glanced at herself in the mirror, running her hand down the satiny material of the white dress. It seemed too good for the likes of her. "This all seems too much. I would have been happy with just a simple ceremony in the garden. Taking over the grandest room at the Jedi Temple is so...big."

"I know. Thank you for indulging Padme with all of this. I know she would never say it out loud, but I think she was a little disappointed that our wedding ceremony was so small and secret. She never got to have the big wedding party I'm sure she wanted. Getting to splurge on you and Ben had made her so happy."

"What I'm really looking forward to is the food! I heard what she ordered and my mouth was watering!"

Anakin chuckled as he fiddled with his tie.

Rey peeked back out through the crack in the door. "A whole bunch of Jedi just came in. I don't think I even know all of them!"

"What do you expect? This is the very first sanctioned Jedi wedding in history. Every Jedi in this system asked for an invite."

"Here comes Bail and Breha! Oh, the baby has gotten so big! I just saw him two months ago when they visited and he's definitely grown." Rey pressed her face closer against the door. "Wait, who's the older boy holding Breha's hand? They don't have another child."

"Actually, they just adopted him. An orphan." Anakin paused for a moment, prompting Rey to turn around and look at him before continuing. "From Corellia."

Rey's entire body jerked in reaction. She looked back through the crack, but she could only see the boy's back. "Han?" she asked.

"Yes," Anakin nodded. "Master Yoda's been looking for him ever since he saw Han in your memories. And you'd told Padme Ben's father was from Corellia."

"Does Ben know about this?"

"Nope. I thought I'd introduce him at the reception."

"You really do want him to pass out at his own wedding! You're cruel!" she said with a giggle.

"Aren't grandfathers supposed to embarrass their family members?" Anakin joked.

"I wouldn't know. My grandfather tried to possess me with all the evil of the Sith," Rey retorted.

"In some circles, that could be considered embarrassing."

Rey took two big strides and swatted him on the arm while feigning outrage. Then her smile faded. She chewed her lip before remembering she had lipstick on. "This is weird. The Organas are raising both my father and now Ben's father. Does that make Ben and I first cousins?"

Anakin burst out laughing. "No! You're overthinking this, Rey. Only the Force knows what's going to happen now. You just have to live your life and not worry about what did happen or what will happen. Marry Ben and be happy. Now help me with this!" Anakin pushed aggressively at the cloth he was attempting to tie around his neck.

Rey tried tying it as well with no success. "How many sand rats does it take to tie a tie?"

"Apparently more than two." Anakin pulled the strip of cloth off his neck. "I give up. I'll suffer Padme's wrath later. Although it may be tempered with all her emotions at finally seeing you two married."

Beautiful music welled up from below, making Rey breath deep with delight.

"That's the signal." Anakin offered Rey his arm and she took it. "I'm glad I get to be the one to walk you down the aisle."

"Considering my father isn't walking yet, you are definitely the best choice," Rey replied as she picked up the beautiful bouquet of desert roses in her other hand.

They each opened one of the doors then strode down the wide staircase at the back of the large room. Everyone seated in the long rows in front of them stood up and looked back at them.

Rey could feel her face turning red at so many eyes watching them, but all the faces looked happy and excited for her. Some of the faces she recognized as she passed by the section of Jedi; Master Yoda, Mace Windu, and Ahsoka Tano. Then she passed Captain Typho and the security guards not on duty around the building, who saluted them both.

Bail Organa sat in front of them with his family. Bail held the baby, who paused in his struggles to escape to gaze upon her. Rey's eyes moved to Han, who looked about eleven years old. The boy smiled and Rey recognized the signature Han Solo smirk. She winked at him. He tilted his head and his smile widened. Then he buried his face in Breha's sleeve.

At the front row stood Padme's parents, Ruwee and Jobal, and her sister, Sola. They didn't know of their relation to Ben, but Jobal had made similar comments about Ben's resemblance to her father that Padme had made to Rey before. She'd been amused when Ben's face had flared red with that when they'd first met Padme's family.  
They'd been happy to be invited to the wedding, and held onto the twins during the ceremony. Luke and Leia, now fifteen months old and walking, had become a rambunctious pair. Sometimes Rey had a hard time catching them when helping Padme put them to bed. They both waved vigorously as she and their father walked past.

As they approached the front, Rey let the tears flow down her face despite knowing they were ruining the makeup Padme had so diligently applied. The woman who had done so much for them ever since the moment they’d arrived in this time and place stood to one side as the Matron of Honor. Rey had never had a friend like her before, and now would become her family.

Padme stepped forward as Anakin stepped away to stand on the other side. She hugged Rey gently, took her bouquet of desert roses and nodded behind her.

Rey turned and her eyes fell on Ben. To say he looked dashing in his black suit would have been an understatement. His hazel eyes took her all in, a mix of love and longing radiating from them. He held out his hand to her.

Rey drew in a breath. The memory of his offering her his hand on the Supremacy flitted through her mind. How she had wanted to take his hand then! But it had been the wrong time. Now, after they had gone through so much and come so far with each other, this was the right time. No questions, no conflicts remained. She slipped her small hand into his large one and he closed his fingers over hers in a cherished caress.

Obi-Wan stepped up to them, officiating the ceremony. He'd been the first Jedi to help Rey figure out the mess they were in, and Rey greatly appreciated him for that. He cleared his throat. "These are unprecedented times. Rey and Ben have been through a lot, more than I suspect anyone here really knows. I'm so happy to finally be able to unite them together with the blessing of the Jedi Council. The lovely couple has written their own vows to share with each other." He gestured to Ben first.

Ben swallowed, ducking his head a little as he spoke. "Rey, I know we didn't start out on very good terms. We fought. A lot. I was chasing something I thought was so important that I didn't care what I had to do or who I had to hurt to get it. Finding you, being inexplicably bonded to you, changed everything. You made me see how trivial it all was. Letting go of all that anger has made let me come back to the light to stand beside you."

Rey practically couldn't breathe hearing his words. All she wanted was to throw her arms around him.

As she leaned forward, a hand caught her elbow and held her back. "Vows first, Rey," Obi-Wan reminded her.

A light twitter of laughter rippled through the crowd.

Rey's cheeks heated up. "Oh, right."

Ben gave her a cheeky grin, the tip of his tongue sticking out between his lips.

Rey smiled back at him. "Ben, when I had to face the biggest challenge of my life, I thought I was facing it alone. Then you came. You brought me back from the brink of giving myself over to the darkness. I thought I lost you after that, but this place and these amazing people healed you. I don't ever want to be on different sides again. I will stand with you, always."

Obi-Wan cleared his throat. "Wow, that was beautiful. Both of you. I'm proud to pronounce you husband and wife as well as distinguished Jedi. Now kiss him, Rey." 

A spark of electricity ignited between their lips before they even touched, shocking them. They both trembled for a moment, then their lips meet. Rey's heart raced and she could actually feel his racing with hers. The air around them thickened and little bursts of blue lightning crackling around them, just like at the training session. The bond between them thrummed in her ears, a deep sound of satisfaction.

Murmurs from the guest touched her ears but she cared for nothing but Ben.

Pressure built up around them and the lightning made the hairs stand up on her skin. Then, as their kiss ended and they broke apart, the pressure popped. Like a giant bubble had been surrounding them, a wind blew out in all directions. It was just like the wind that had brought them here.

The crowd gasped collectively.

Rey and Ben looked at all the people staring at them with wide eyes.

In a loud voice, Obi-Wan announced, "Surely, this marriage has been blessed by the Force!"

The crowd cheered!

The End

A/N: Thank you all so much for reading this story! I really hope you enjoyed it. I absolutely love all your comments and feedback. If you haven't checked out my story "Rewriting History", please do. I am very proud of that story. Unfortunately, I am now out of good story ideas for Rey and Ben. Maybe I'll catch some of you with the next ship I obsess over and dive back into writing fan fiction. Farewell!


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